Death penalty of 4 upheld in Dec 16 gang-rape

Says 'exemplary punishment' was the need of the hour

Holding the December 16 gang-rape and murder 'extremely fiendish' and 'unparalleled in the history of criminal jurisprudence', the high court here on Thursday upheld the death sentence of four convicts, saying 'exemplary punishment' was the need of the hour.

Rejecting the appeals by the convicts against the trial court's verdict, the court said the offences were 'completely revolting' and committed in an "extremely fiendish, demoniac, barbaric and nefarious manner'. "If this is not the rarest of rare cases, there is likely to be none." The court confirmed the death reference of the Delhi government and simultaneously rejected the appeals of Akshay Thakur (29), Vinay Sharma (21), Pawan Gupta (20) and Mukesh (27).