Supreme Court reserves verdict on appeals in December 16 gangrape case

Advocate representing Delhi Police told the bench these convicts deserved death penalty

The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its verdict on the appeals filed by four death row convicts on December 16, 2012, gangrape and murder case which shook the country's conscience.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra asked the parties concerned to file their written submissions within a week.

During the arguments, senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for Delhi Police, told the bench that these convicts had "brutalised" the young woman and they deserved to be awarded death penalty.

"The offence committed by them (convicts) attracts death penalty. They have not given any mitigating circumstances which could warrant reduction of the sentence from death penalty which was awarded to them," he told the bench also comprising Justices R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan.

However, senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae in the matter, told the bench that the option of awarding jail term for the whole life to these convicts may also be considered.