- By James Kuanal
- Fri, 20 Mar 2020 05:49 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: Seven years and three months after the horrific crime that shocked the nation, the four convicts -- Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) -- were hanged to death on March 20 at 5.30 am at Tihar Jail. A death warrant was issued by a Delhi court on March 4 following which the execution took place on Friday. This was the first time that four men were hanged together at Tihar Jail in Delhi.
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Here’s the timeline of events of the brutal rape case that shocked the country:
On December 16, 2016, a 23-year-old paramedic student and her friend (male) took a private bus to home after watching a movie at the Select City Walk Mall, Saket. She was gangraped and beaten brutally by six persons, including a juvenile, in a moving train in South Delhi and was later thrown out with her male friends on the streets near Mahipalpur. They were admitted to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital on the same night.
Also Read | All about Nirbhaya case convicts who were hanged on March 20
December 17: Delhi police identified four men who raped and assaulted her—bus driver Ram Singh, Mukesh, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta. The doctors said that the woman suffered grave internal injuries.
December 18: Ram Singh and three others were arrested. People across the nation took to the streets to protest against the gang rape and asked for strict punishment.
December 19: The woman underwent a fifth surgery, with doctors removing most of her intestines.
December 21: Police nabbed the accused minor from the Anand Vihar bus terminal in Delhi. Meanwhile, the government appointed a panel of physicians to ensure that the victim receives the best medical care. Her friend identified Mukesh as one of the culprits. Police conducted a raid in Haryana and Bihar to nab the sixth accused Akshay Thakur.
December 22: Akshay Thakur was arrested from Bihar and brought to Delhi. The victim recorded her statement before the SDM in the hospital.
December 25: Woman’s condition deteriorated.
December 26: Victim is flown to Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital for advanced treatment.
December 29: She dies in Singapore due to organ failure.
January 2, 2013: The then CJI Altamas Kabir inaugurated fast track court for speedy trial in sexual offence cases.
January 3: Cops filed a chargesheet against five adults accused in the case for offences such as murder, gang rape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences and dacoity.
January 17: Fast track court began proceeding against five adults accused in the case.
January 28: Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) ruled the sixth accused as minor.
February 2: Five adults accused charged with 13 offences, including rape and murder.
February 28: JJB frames rape and murder charges against the minor.
March 11: Ram Singh, the bus driver was found hanging in his cell in Tihar jail.
March 21: Government approved new tough anti-rape law to punish culprits in crimes, including death for repeat offenders.
July 5: Trail against the minor concluded, the JJB reserved verdict for July 11.
July 11: The JJB holds the juvenile guilty of illegally confining and robbing a carpenter on December 16, days before gang rape. The board defers to July 25 its verdict in gang-rape case.
July 25: JJB defers its verdict to August 5 after a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking a fresh interpretation of the term ‘juvenile’.
August 19: JJB deferred its verdict to August 31.
August 22: The Supreme Court announced JJB to pronounce verdict in gang rape case. Fast-track court starts hearings of final arguments in the trial against the four adults accused.
August 31: The JJB convicted the juvenile for gang rape and murder and awarded three-year term at a probation home.
September 10: The court convicted Mukesh, Akshay, Vinay and Pawan of 13 offences, including gang rape, unnatural offence and killing the woman and attempt to murder her male friend.
September 13: The fast track court awarded death to all four convicted in the case. The Trial court referred the case to Delhi High Court for confirmation of the death sentence.
November 1: High Court began hearing the case daily.
January 3: Delhi High court reserved its verdict on confirming the death sentence and appeals of the four convicts.
March 13: Delhi High Court upholds death sentences awarded to the four convicts.
June 2: Two convicts moved to the Supreme Court against the High’s court decision.
July 14: The Supreme Court stays execution of death penalty of two of four convicts—Akshay Thakur and Vinay Sharma.
December 18, 2015: Delhi High refused to stay the release of juvenile. He walked out of a correction home after spending three years.
April 3, 2016: The Supreme Court starts hearing the sensitive case.
July 11: Hearing commenced with change in Bench to justices Ashok Bhushan, R Banumathi and Dipak Misra.
August 2016: Vinay Sharma tried to commit suicide in Tihar Jail.
January 6, 2017: The top court seeks mitigating circumstances from the accused.
March 27: The apex court reserved verdict after nearly a year of hearing.
May 5: Supreme Court upholds the death penalty against four accused—Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur.
July 9: SC rejects review pleas of three out of four convicted in the 2012 gang rape case.
December 13: The top court dismissed a petition seeking directions for immediate execution of four men convicted in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case.
October 31, 2019: Tihar jail authorities inform the convicts that they have exhausted all legal remedy and could not file mercy plea to the President. Only one, Vinay Sharma, filed the mercy plea.
December 4: Ministry of Home affairs receives mercy plea.
December 6: Rape convicts under POCSO Act shouldn't be allowed to file mercy plea said President Kovind
December 7: Vinay Sharma writes to President for immediate withdrawal of mercy plea.
December 10: Akshay Singh, one of the accused in the case files a review petition in the Supreme court, asserting why the top court had given him such him a death penalty when his life is eventually going to be short due to the bad air and water quality in Delhi.
December 13: Nirbhaya’s parents moves SC, opposing the review plea by Akshay Singh. Hearing on plea of Nirbhaya's parents seeking issuance of the death warrant deferred till Dec 18.
December 18: Review plea of Akshay Singh dismissed by the Supreme Court.
January 7: All 4 convicts sentenced to death on January 22 at 7 am.
January 7: Delhi court issues fresh death warrants of convicts on February 1 at 6 pm
January 18: Pawan Gupta files a special leave petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court claiming that he was a juvenile at the time of crime.
January 20: Supreme Court dismisses Pawan Gupta’s SLP.
January 31: Delhi court postpones execution of the four convicts
February 1: President Kovind rejects mercy petition of convict Vinay
February 14: Supreme Court rejects Vinay’s plea challenging rejection of mercy petition
February 17: Delhi court issues fresh death warrant for March 3.
March 2: Delhi court stays execution of convicts
March 4: Delhi court issues fresh death warrant for March 20.
March 19: Delhi court refuses to stay execution of four convicts
March 20: The four convicts of the Nirbhaya case are hanged to death
(With agency inputs)