Nirbhaya's parents to watch debate on Juvenile Justice Bill from Rajya Sabha gallery

Parents of the December 16 gang-rape victim will watch the proceedings of Rajya Sabha as it takes up the Juvenile Justice Bill for discussion on Tuesday.

New Delhi: Parents of the December 16 gang-rape victim will watch the proceedings of Rajya Sabha as it debates the Juvenile Justice Bill on Tuesday.

According to reports, Nirbhaya's parents – mother Asha Devi and father Badri Singh Pandey – will remain remain seated in the gallery of the Upper House to watch he entire proceedings.

The couple met Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday, seeking the passage of the Juvenile Justice Bill which will allow children between 16-18 years to be tried as adults in heinous crime cases.

“We have been assured that the bill will be passed tomorrow and we believe that. Now, it is not the right time to talk about him (the juvenile convict of the gangrape case) as he is a free man and there is no law to hold him back. Our fight is not only for us but for all women and girls,” the victim’s father Badri Singh Pandey told reporters after meeting the Congress leader at the latter’s residence.

On a day the Supreme Court rejected a plea against release of the juvenile offender in the December 16 gangrape case, the government said amendments to Juvenile Justice Act - that will allow children between 16-18 years to be tried as adults in heinous crime cases - is expected to be tabled in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Before meeting Azad, the gang-rape victim’s parents participated in a candlelight march at Jantar Mantar along with hundreds of youths and activists. Amid protests, the juvenile convict in the case was sent to an NGO in Delhi on Sunday.

The victim’s mother Asha Devi said notwithstanding the release of the juvenile convict on Sunday, she and her husband will continue their fight to ensure death penalty for the rest of the convicts who are currently lodged in Tihar jail.