Supreme Court dismisses review plea of convict in Nirbhaya rape and murder case

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court bench comprising Justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and AS Bopanna dismissed the review petition of Akshay Singh, one of the convicts in the Nirbhaya rape and murder case. This comes after the apex court heard the arguments of AP Singh, the counsel for the accused and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who argued for the Delhi police. The bench stated that all the aspects of the case had already been dealt with by the trial court, High Court and the SC. The apex court contended that there was no merit in the plea.

Read: Abha Singh On Nirbhaya: 'The SC Needs To Get A Time Frame For Such Rape And Murder Cases'

Ridiculous arguments in the review plea

In his review plea, the convict made some preposterous remarks such as pointing out the air quality of Delhi. Moreover, he tried to ridicule the crime that led to her death. The review plea on page 16 at point D stated, "Air quality of Delhi is...like a gas chamber and not only this the water of Delhi NCR...is also full of poison...life is going to short, then why death penalty?" On page 15 at point C, the Nirbhaya murderer and rapist wrote, "Why death penalty when age is reducing? In Kalyug, age has come down to 50-60 years." On page 20, he remarked, "The prosecutrix was raped by a minimum of two men and that she does not remember intercourse after that. It is, therefore, unsafe to proceed on the assumption that all six people on the bus committed rape." 

Read: Nirbhaya Case: 'Country Demands Live Hanging Of Culprits,' Says Adv Pramila Nesargi

Mercy petition is the last option

A 23-year-old paramedic student Nirbhaya was gang-raped inside a running bus by six persons on December 16 in 2012 in Delhi. The victim was severely assaulted and thrown out on the road along with her male friend and succumbed to injuries a few days later. Out of the six convicts, one committed suicide in prison, while another, a juvenile, served maximum punishment of three years in a reform home and was set free in 2015. The remaining four rapists were convicted and handed death sentence by a trial court in 2013, confirmed by the Delhi High Court in March 2014. The Supreme Court upheld the Delhi High Court's verdict in 2017. In July 2018, the SC rejected the review pleas filed by the three convicts for a re-examination of its 2017 judgment. The Tihar jail administration had issued a notice to the convicts on October 31 this year reminding them about the mercy petition being their last option after exhausting all other legal options. Currently, the mercy plea of some of the convicts is pending with the President. 

Read: Nirbhaya Case: Shooter Vartika Singh Offers To Be Hangwoman For Convicts, Writes To HMO

Read: 7 Years Of Nirbhaya Case: 'Say No To Violence Against Women', Urges Mamata Banerjee