Published 07:51 IST, March 20th 2020
Nirbhaya Convicts' hanged: Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra calls it a 'logical conclusion'
Sidharth Luthra, Senior Advocate and former ASG who batted for state and fought for Nirbhaya, stated the hanging of the convicts to be the logical conclusion
Sidharth Luthra, a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court and former Additional Solicitor General who batted for the state and fought for Nirbhaya, stated the hanging of the convicts to be the 'only logical conclusion'. The four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case were hanged to death at 5:30 am in Delhi's Tihar jail on Friday, 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.
Speaking to ANI soon after the execution, the Senior Advocate stated that this would send out a clear message to those who think of committing such heinous crimes.
"After the judgment of the Supreme Court, upholding the conviction in the death sentence, after the reviews and remedies were dismissed, carrying out of the execution was the only logical conclusion. And therefore, it is part of our criminal justice system," he said.
"One of the messages this execution sends out is that a person who commits a heinous crime will be brought to justice and the sentence given as per law," he added.
Reactive response
Furthermore, Sidharth Luthra emphasised on the importance of reactive response to such crimes and added that administrative measures need to be in place.
"A reactive response is one element in ensuring the safety of individuals, makes sure people don't create heinous crimes. We will need an effective administrative measures, that is a preventive measure, effective policing starting from education people from a young age. Creating an environment of greater sensitivity among youngsters is important. As a society, our response is fast and efficacious yet absolutely transparent and fair," he said.
Four Convicts Hanged
Seven years and three months after, on March 20 the four convicts in the Delhi 2012 rape and murder case were hanged to death in Tihar jail. This was the first time that four men were executed together in Tihar Jail, South Asia's largest prison complex that houses more than 16,000 inmates.
A guard of not less than 10 constable, warders, and two head constables, head warders or an equal number from the prison armed guard, were also present, it states. Meanwhile, hundreds of people had gathered outside the Tihar central jail ahead of the execution on Friday morning to celebrate.
The Nirbhaya Case
A 23-year-old paramedic student Nirbhaya was gang-raped inside a running bus by six persons on December 16, 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 reportedly 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 the death penalty 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.
Updated 07:51 IST, March 20th 2020