All four convicts in Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case to be hanged on Jan 22 at 7 am in Tihar jail, orders Delhi court

A Delhi court on Tuesday issued death warrants against all the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case and ordered they be hanged on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar jail, over seven years after the brutal crime sparked outrage and anger across the country.The death warrant, also known as black warrant, addressed to the office of the Tihar jail chief, was issued by Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora against Mukesh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31), all of whom are on death row.”We have received the court order and will plan the execution of the four accordingly. Three of the accused are in Jail No. 2 and the fourth one is in Jail No. 4. Now they will be put in isolated cells and won’t be allowed to have any interaction with other prisoners,” Tihar jail sources said.
The sources said prison authorities in Uttar Pradesh will be approached to make available a hangman from Meerut to carry out the execution in Jail No. 3 in the biggest prison complex in Asia.The sources said in all likelihood the four men will be hanged simultaneously amid reports that a new gallows frame is being readied for this purpose.“Our team of doctors will conduct regular medical check-ups to keep a tab on their physical and mental health. We will also take care of their safety. Also, the families of the men can come and meet them during this period,” they said.Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi was present in the court room in the Patiala House courts complex and became emotional during a brief media interaction.”The hanging of the four convicts will restore the faith of women in law,” she said.The court order was greeted with relief in Nirbhaya’s native village in Ballia in Uttar Pradesh.”Though late, the family today got justice,” Nirbhaya’s grandfather Lalji Singh said.Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the issuance of death warrants against the convicts has fulfilled a long-term wish of the people of Delhi and hoped it would be a lesson for people who misbehave with women.The order was pronounced on applications moved by Nirbhaya’s parents and the prosecution (Delhi government) seeking issuance of death warrants against the convicts.The 23-year-old paramedic student, referred to as Nirbhaya or fearless, was gangraped and brutally assaulted on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012 inside a moving bus in south Delhi by six persons before being thrown out on the road. She died on December 29, 2012 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.Ram Singh, one of the six accused, allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail. A juvenile, who was among the accused, was convicted by a juvenile justice board and was released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term.The only legal remedy now left with the four convicts is to approach the Supreme Court with curative petitions to seek relief from the capital punishment.
The convicts can also avail the constitutional remedy of filing mercy pleas with the President.