"I convict all of the accused. They have been found guilty of gang rape, unnatural offences, destruction of evidence ... and for committing the murder of the helpless victim”.
This morning, at a New Delhi Court, Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Kumar Singh and Pawaan Gupta were all sentenced to death by hanging by Judge Yogesh Khanna. When the sentence passed, Singh's mother fell to her knees in tears.
The four men were found guilty of raping a woman on a bus, then murdering her in December 2012. The woman has not been named, because Indian legislation forbids it, but the Indian media has dubbed her Nirbhaya, which means "fearless" in Hindi.
Eye Witness News reports "The case resonated with thousands of urban Indians who took to the streets in fury after the attack. Her path through education onto the first rungs of middle-class life seemed to epitomise the aspirations of millions of young women in the world's second most populous nation".
Judge Khanna's order must be confirmed by India's High Court, because of the severity. The accused can appeal their case to the High Court, as well as to the Supreme Court and ask the president for clemency however, many citizens and politicians have been calling for an execution since the case started.
According to Pilotonline.com, there were two other men involved. Ram Singh, 33, hanged himself in prison, though his family insists he was killed. There was also an 18-year-old boy, who was a juvenile at the time of the attack. Under Indian law, he is not allowed to be identified and was convicted in August. He will serve the maximum sentence for a minor, three years in a reform home.
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