NEW DELHI: The four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case - Mukesh Singh, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma - were hanged to death at 5:30 AM at Delhi`s Tihar jail on Friday (March 20, 2020), bringing the curtains down on the drama surrounding the execution that saw the death warrants cancelled thrice on various grounds over the last two-and-a-half months. The hanging was carried out as per schedule at 5:30 AM after a three-judge Supreme Court bench rejected the final plea by the convicts` lawyer AP Singh to stay their execution in a late-night hearing.


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While several political leaders described the development as “a victory” for Nirbhaya, several others stressed on the need to fix the loopholes in the legal system to prevent delay in delivering justice in cases of heinous crimes.


Here are some of those reactions


Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi CM


It took 7 years for justice to be delivered. Today, we've to take a pledge that a similar incident does not happen again. We've seen how the convicts manipulated the law until recently. There are a lot of loopholes in our system, we need to improve the system


Gautam Gambhir, BJP MP, Delhi


Hanged till death! Finally! I know we are late Nirbhaya.


Rekha Sharma, Chairperson of NCW


An example has been set today but it could have been done earlier. Now people know that they will be punished, you may extend the date but you will get punished.


Swati Maliwal, Delhi Commission for Women chief


It is a historic day, Nirbhaya got justice after over seven years. Her soul must have found peace today. The country has given a strong message to rapists that those who commit this crime will be hanged.


Priti Gandhi, National Incharge of Social Media - BJP Mahila Morcha


Somewhere, deep inside, it feels good to see the evil #Nirbhaya rapists repeatedly knocking doors of the court begging for their lives to be spared & their mercy petition repeatedly getting declined!! The only thing they deserve is death!!


Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India


Our judicial system and executive government has ensured justice for all daughters of the country. This example will be a strong and imperishable deterrent.


Badrinath Singh, Nirbhaya's father


Not just Nirbhaya, it is a day for all women of the country... Today, all people will say that they are happy as Nirbhaya has got justice. Our lawyers stood with us all the time. In the end, we won because we were just.


Nearly seven and half years after a young medical student ‘Nirbhaya’ was gang-raped and tortured on a moving bus in Delhi, four - Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma - of her killers were hanged at 5.30 am on Friday (March 20, 2020). Confirming the development, Tihar Director General Sandeep Goel said, “All four convicts (2012 Delhi gang-rape case) were hanged at 5:30 am.’’ 


The four convicts were declared dead by the Jail doctor 30 minutes after hanging.  As per protocol, bodies of convicts who are executed are kept hanging for 30 minutes before being lowered. The bodies of the four Nirbhaya convicts were lowered and checked by a doctor who declared all the four dead. The bodies will now be sent for post-mortem.


In her first reaction, Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi said, “Finally they have been hanged, it was a long struggle. Today we got justice, this day is dedicated to the daughters of the country. I thank the judiciary and the government.”


Asha Devi also flashed a victory sign after the four convicts were hanged at Delhi's Tihar Jail. As the news broke out, people celebrated and distributed sweets outside Tihar jail where four 2012 Delhi gang-rape case convicts were hanged at 5:30 am today.


The hanging took place less a few hours after the Supreme Court dismissed their final petition. In the hours before that, the convicts had petitioned the Delhi High Court, where their lawyer cited coronavirus for the lack of proper documents with the hurriedly filed appeal.


A third court had already declared that they had run out of all legal options of stopping their execution.


This is the first time in the history of India that four convicts were hanged at the same time.