Execution of convicts will be 'real tribute' to Nirbhaya, says then SIT Chief who probed case

The execution of all four convicts in 2012 gang-rape and murder case will be a real tribute to Nirbhaya, according to Pramod Kushwaha, the then chief of special investigation team (SIT) which probed the gruesome incident.

A Delhi court on Tuesday issued a death warrant against all four convicts in the case. They are scheduled to be hanged at 7 am on January 22.

"It will be a real tribute to Nirbhaya when these convicts are hanged. This judgment will act as a deterrent and nobody will dare to commit such a crime in future... It will be a matter of happiness when the sentence reaches its logical end," Kushwaha told ANI on Tuesday.

He said that the members of the SIT did their best and different levels of judiciary appreciated the effort of the investigation team.

"It was a matter of satisfaction when the verdict was upheld on every level. We had never seen such a brutal incident. It was so horrifying that we completely identified with the victim and her family. We had an emotional commitment to give our best to the investigation," Kushwaha said.

In the year 2013, a fast-track court had held the four men guilty in the case and sentenced them to death, which was upheld by the Delhi High Court and later by the Supreme Court as well.

Talking about the challenges before the SIT, Kushwaha said, "We had to file the charge-sheet very quickly. At the same time, it was not acceptable to compromise with the quality of investigation. All the members of the SIT gave their best effort for the probe. This is why, when the charge-sheet was filed in the court, it was perfect."

"Be it the scientific investigation, scientific and other evidence or document evidence, everything was filed perfectly. That is why no loopholes were found during the investigation. Judiciary also admitted that it was a water-tight case," he said.

The case pertains to rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student by six men on a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012.

The main accused, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail during the trial while another accused was a minor at the time of the crime and was sent to a reform facility and released after three years.