Nirbhaya gang rape case: Justice delayed but finally delivered, says Maneka

SC upheld earlier order of death sentence to four convicts in Dec 16, 2012 gang rape case

As the Supreme Court upheld the earlier order of the death sentence to the four convicts in the brutal Nirbhaya gang rape case, Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi expressed happiness saying that even though justice was delayed it has finally been delivered.

"I am happy that the verdict has been upheld and I wish it had come sooner. But, five years is not a long time by legal standards in India," Maneka told ANI.

Earlier in the day, the apex court upheld the earlier order of death sentence to four convicts in the December 16, 2012 gang rape case.

The matter was heard by the apex court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra and consisting of Justices R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan.

Justice Dipak Misra observed in its order that 'it's a story of some different world'.

"Taking the serious injuries, the severe nature of offence committed by the convicts, we are upholding the sentence," the order said.

The next option for the convicts is to appeal against their death sentence to President Pranab Mukherjee.

The convicts — Akshay, Pawan, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh — had challenged the Delhi High Court order which had sentenced them to the gallows.

Earlier, the trial court had also sentenced all the four convicts to death penalty.

In December 16, 2012, six people gang raped a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern in a moving bus. The woman succumbed to her injuries in a Singapore hospital on December 29, 2012.

One of the accused, Ram Singh hanged himself in prison, while another person, who was a juvenile at the time of the crime, was convicted in August last year and will serve the maximum sentence of three years in a reform home.