A three-member bench of Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice R Banumathi said the aggravating circumstances against Mukesh, Pawan, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur far outweighed the mitigating circumstances cited in their favour.
What happened on 16 December, 2012?
Nirbhaya, a 23-year-old paramedic, was raped and brutalised with an iron rod in a moving bus in Delhi. She and her male friend were then thrown out of the bus. Nirbhaya lost her life in a Singapore hospital on December 29.
The victim, along with her male companion, was returning from a movie show, and took a bus to get back home. Soon, the victim’s companion noticed the driver had taken a different route than normal and the doors of the bus had been tightly shut.The accused began to hassle the woman and then took turns to rape her.
They didn't stop there -- they went ahead and brutalsed her with an iron rod and battered her male friend as well. The two were then thrown off the bus around midnight, in tattered clothes.
The Protest
The nation was shaken up by the news of this reprehensible gang rape. The brutal incident elicited a strong reaction in the country. Women took to streets to fight for a speedy legal system.
Today as soon as the decision broke out, the country welcomed the apex court decision. Here's how people reacted on Twitter:
Death sentence for four in #Nirbhaya case- definitely meets rarest of rare benchmark- if ever a case called for hanging, this was it.
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT)
May 5, 2017
The death penalty to the rapists is totally justified. Don't know whether this will deter others but these men deserve it for what they did
— Nidhi Razdan (@RazdanNidhi)
May 5, 2017
??? #Nirbhaya ?? ???????? ??? ?? ?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ????? ???????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ?????? ?????????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ????? ????
— Dr Kumar Vishvas (@DrKumarVishwas)
May 5, 2017
By awarding death penalty to convicts in #Nirbhayaverdict, honourable Supreme Court has reaffirmed people's faith in the judicial system.
— ShivrajSingh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj)
May 5, 2017
Hang them in front of crowd without putting mask on their face, it should become lesson for others.#Nirbhaya#NirbhayaCase
— Shivam Chauhan (@Shivamsnghchauh)
May 5, 2017
Finally a JUST closure in #Nirbhaya's case.While the memory of the brutal gangrape is still fresh in our minds.
It has a stronger deterrence
— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi)
May 5, 2017 
 "NIRBHAYA gang rAPE, rapists")