Nirbhaya case: PIL in Apex Court seeks live telecast of rapists' execution

Seeking capital punishment and live broadcast of the execution of the convicts in the Nirbhaya case within a month, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Supreme Court on Friday. The petitioners also sought the SC to review the mercy petitions of the convicts and dispose it within a month. The Supreme Court had announced that they will be hearing the review plea of one of the convicts, Akshay Kumar Singh, on December 17. 

The petition seeking capital punishment 

The PIL filed at the SC read, “Dispose of all the Nirbhaya accused review, curative and mercy petitions within one month and to execute the death warrants of all accused by hanging within one month. Allow the Nirbhaya family to watch the execution (like in the USA) of the all accused of Nirbhaya case so that it may bring closure to the Nirbhaya family”. The petitioner also demanded that the cost of the hanging rope must be retrieved "so that the accused family may understand that it was their responsibility too to impart values in their rapist son." 

Read: Nirbhaya rape case: All convicts summoned by court to ensure 'excercise of legal options'

Apart from this, the PIL also sought from Supreme Court to frame specific guidelines for completion of both police probe and trial in fast track court within six months in rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases. Additionally, the PIL also demanded to set up a fast track court in each district and sessions court and one dedicated bench in every High Courts and Supreme Court for disposing of rape and POCSO cases. It also sought appeals in the High Court and Supreme Court to be completed within four months and three months, respectively. 

Read: Nirbhaya rape case: Convict to file for review challenging Supreme Court's death penalty

The Nirbhaya case 

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. 

Read: Nirbhaya rapist cites Delhi air, wedding in horrific plea challenging death - hang him now

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. 

(With ANI Inputs)

Read: Tihar Jail asks UP for two hangmen, speculation over Nirbhaya killers' execution rises