One of the most catastrophic incidents in the history of this country, the brutal gang rape of “Nirbhaya” hit the country by a storm in 2012. Mass gatherings and protests lasted for weeks and the entire country stood united in a mission to punish every person who was involved in act of sheer vandalism.
“Justice delayed is justice denied” they say, but why it took so long to implicate the conviction orders was something that irritated many Indians for a long time.
“I will sleep peacefully tonight,” said Nirbhaya’s father, who had to wait closely five years to see her daughter get the justice she deserved.
“She would have turned 28 on May 10 if she had lived. Today’s verdict is a gift for her,” Singh said. “I am happy that the Supreme Court has heard our voice and understood the suffering Nirbhaya underwent. It has given justice to Nirbhaya and the entire country,” he added.
The victim’s mother, Asha Devi, who was present in the jam-packed court room when the verdict was pronounced, said justice has finally been done, despite the delay due to the lengthy legal procedure.
“We thank all who supported us in the difficult times. Though we have lost our daughter, we are satisfied that the court has awarded death sentence to her perpetrators,” she said.
From now on, she and her husband will fight for justice for other girls against whom criminal acts are committed, Asha Devi said while coming out of the court room.
Asha Devi was present along with her husband Badri Singh when Justice Dipak Misra, who headed the bench pronounced the verdict in English. Some lawyers were seen translating the verdict in Hindi to them.
As soon as the verdict was pronounced, the victim’s parents, lawyers and some other litigants present in the court room, stood up and clapped.
He, however, rued the delay that the courts had taken in delivering justice, and wondered about the fate of other rape victims.
“What about justice for others whose cases are pending in courts,” Singh asked. But the SC verdict, he added, would give a boost to rape survivors seeking justice.
Those who will face the gallows are Mukesh (29), Pawan (22), Vinay Sharma (23) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31). Another one of the criminals by the name Ram Singh had allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail, while a convicted juvenile was sentenced three years of punishment in a reform home.
