Activists hail SC order on Nirbhaya case; faith in judiciary reinstated, says victim's mother

The mother of Nirbhaya, the woman who was gangraped and murdered here on December 16, 2012, today said her faith in the judiciary was reinstated after the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty for three of the four convicts in the case, while politicians and activists also hailed the development.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan today rejected the pleas of Mukesh (29), Pawan Gupta (22) and Vinay Sharma (23), seeking a review of the top court's verdict upholding the death sentence awarded to them, saying no grounds were made out for a review of the judgment.

The apex court said the death row convicts had failed to point out "error apparent on the face of record" in the verdict.

"The Supreme Court upholding its verdict is a strong message to those who commit such heinous crimes. Our faith in the judiciary has been reinstated. I appeal to the prime minister to take concrete steps against atrocities towards young girls and women," Asha Devi, the mother of the victim, said.

Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi also expressed satisfaction at the top court's decision to uphold the death penalty of the convicts.

"I am satisfied that the Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of the Nirbhaya case convicts. Not only this, a Madhya Pradesh court has recently awarded death sentence in a case of rape of a minor girl.

"This is the first verdict after the new law came into force. The stringent measures taken by our government are working and will act as a strong deterrent for the perpetrators of such heinous crimes," she said.

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal also welcomed the development even as she questioned the six-year delay in dispensing justice in the case. She said the DCW would issue a notice to the Delhi Police and the Tihar Jail authorities, asking them to expedite the execution of the convicted rapists.

Hailing the move, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said, "We welcome the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the guilt of those who had appealed for a review. The apex court's decision is based on the present legal framework, which recommends death penalty in the rarest of rare cases."
She, however, added, "As far as death penalty is concerned, as a matter of principle, we are against it."