Tihar jail runs trial on dummies before execution of Nirbhaya case convicts

The convicts are to be hanged at 7 am on Wednesday, January 22. This is the first time in the history of India that four death row convicts will be hanged together.

New Delhi: As Tihar Jail prepares to hang the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape case, a trial was conducted today (January 12)  where dummies of the four convicts were hanged.

The dummies were prepped according to their respective weights. According to the weight of the four, one and a half times the weight of the sack was filled with mudstone. Also, the strength of the rope was checked. 

The convicts are to be hanged at 7 am on Wednesday, January 22. But there is a curative petition with the Supreme Court which will be heard on January 22 itself. If the orders are given then this rope will be used in the execution. 

This is the first time in the history of India that four death row convicts will be hanged together.

On January 7, Delhi's Patiala House court had issued a death warrant for the four convicts -- Pawan Gupta, Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur. Additional Session Judge Satish Kumar Arora issued the death warrant against them.

Upon hearing the verdict, the convicts, who were produced before court through video conferencing, broke into tears.

Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi, though, erupted with joy. "My daughter has got justice. Execution of the four convicts will empower the women of the country. This decision will strengthen the trust of people in the judicial system," she had said. Nirbhaya's father Badrinath Singh too lauded the court's decision saying, "I am happy with the court's decision. This decision will instil fear in people who commit such crimes.''

On December 16, 2012, six persons, had brutally raped a 23-year-old paramedic inside a moving bus. She was accompanied by a male friend who was also beaten up and later, both of them were thrown out of the vehicle. The girl had suffered critical injuries and later died during treatment. The brutality of the crime led to national outrage and new legislation was formed to deal with such heinous crimes.