Dec 16 convicts hanged

refused.

The four were first sentenced to death by a trial court in September 2013. The decision was upheld by the Delhi high court in March 2014 and later by the Supreme Court in May 2017.

Hours after the hanging, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “Justice has prevailed. It is of utmost importance to ensure dignity and safety of women…”

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that it had taken seven years to get justice for the woman. In the backdrop of the convicts availing legal remedies that led courts to change the hanging date three times, he said, “…We have to work together to address the various loopholes in our judicial system that favours the culprits.”

At the Dwarka home of the woman’s family, neighbours met her parents, Asha Devi and Badrinath Singh, with sweets to congratulate them. “Everyone is so happy, and for us, it is a load off our chest,” Singh told reporters outside his house.

The two were also present in high court around midnight, and Supreme Court till 2.30am, when the counsel of the convicts made a last attempt to seek stay on the hanging. The young woman’s mother told reporters that March 20 would be remembered as a day in honour of all the women in the country. She thanked the Indian judiciary, the President, and said that though there was delay, they had finally got justice.

“Today, she got justice and girls of the country got justice .... The execution of the four convicts will be a message for the entire country and that families will start teaching their sons and use the hanging as an example. The loss can never be repaired but I hope to help others and continue living,” she told HT.

In another part of the city, inspector Anil Sharma, who was the investigating officer of the case in 2012, said the execution of the four men ensured he fulfilled a promise made to the young woman while she was fighting for her life at Safdarjung Hospital. But Sharma said he has to live with one regret: “I couldn’t save her life.”

The woman died on December 29, 2012, in a Singapore hospital.