The four convicts were hanged today morning. (File photo)
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The four convicts — Mukesh (31), Pawan Gupta (24), Vinay Sharma (25) and Akshay Kumar Singh (33) — of December 16, 2012 gangrape and murder case were hanged at Delhi’s Tihar Jail at 5.30 am Friday. The execution was held at the crack of dawn, hours after the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court and a lower court refused to stay the execution.
In September 2013, a fast-track court held the four guilty of 13 offences, including gangrape, unnatural sexual assault, and murder of the woman, and attempt to murder her male friend. The decision was upheld by the Delhi High Court in March 2014 and by the Supreme Court in May 2017.
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Dec 16, 2012: Paramedical student gang-raped and brutally assaulted by six men inside a moving bus in Delhi. The woman is thrown out of the vehicle along with her male friend. The victims admitted to Safdarjung Hospital.
Dec 17: Widespread protests erupt demanding stringent action against the accused. Following this, the police identify the accused — bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh Kumar, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta.
Dec 18: Police arrest Ram Singh and three others.
Dec 20: The victim’s friend testifies.
Dec 21: Accused juvenile nabbed from Delhi’s Anand Vihar bus terminal. Victim’s friend identifies Mukesh as one of the culprits. In a bid to nab the sixth accused Akshay Thakur, the police conduct raids in Haryana and Bihar.
Dec 21-22: Thakur arrested from Bihar’s Aurangabad district and brought to Delhi. The victim records her statement before the SDM in the hospital.
Dec 23: Protesters defy prohibitory orders, take to the streets. Delhi Police constable Subhash Tomar, in charge of control protests, rushed to hospital with serious injuries.
Dec 25: Girl’s condition turns critical. Constable Tomar succumbs to injuries.
Dec 26: The victim flown to Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital by the government following a cardiac arrest,
Dec 29: The woman succumbs to injuries and other medical conditions. The police add murder charges in the FIR against the accused.
Jan 2, 2013: Then Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir sets up fast track court (FTC) for speedy trial in sexual offence cases.
Jan 3: The police file the chargesheet against five adults accused of murder, gangrape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences and dacoity.
Jan 5: Court takes cognizance of the chargesheet.
Jan 7: Court orders in-camera proceedings.
Jan 17: FTC starts proceedings against the five adult accused.
Jan 28: Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) says the minority of the juvenile accused is proved.
Feb 2: FTC frames charges against five adult accused.
Feb 28: JJB frames charges against the minor.
Mar 11: Ram Singh allegedly commits suicide in Tihar Jail.
Mar 22: Delhi High Court allows national media to report the trial court’s proceedings.
Jul 5: Inquiry in JJB against the juvenile in JJB concludes. The verdict is reserved for July 11.
Jul 8: The FTC completes the recording of testimonies of prosecution witnesses.
Jul 11: JJB holds minor guilty of illegally confining and robbing a carpenter on December 16, the night before the crime was committed. The Delhi High Court allows three international news agencies to cover the trial in the case.
Aug 22: FTC begins hearing final arguments in the trial against four adult accused.
Aug 31: JJB convicts the minor for gangrape and murder and awards three-year term at the probation home.
Sep 3: FTC concludes trial. Reserves verdict.
Sep 10: The court convicts Mukesh, Vinay, Akshay, Pawan of 13 offences including gangrape, unnatural offence and murder of the woman and an attempt to murder her male friend.
Sep 13: The court awards death penalty to all four convicts.
Sep 23: Delhi High Court begins hearing the convicts’ death sentence reference sent to it by the trial court.
Jan 3, 2014: The high court reserves verdict on convicts’ appeals.
Mar 13: The HC upholds the death penalty awarded to the convicts.
Mar 15: The SC stays execution of two convicts, Mukesh and Pawan, after they file appeals. Later, the apex court stays execution of other convicts too.
Apr 15: The SC directs the police to produce the dying declaration of the victim.
Feb 3, 2017: The SC says it would hear the aspect of awarding the death penalty to the convicts afresh.
Mar 27: The SC reserves verdict on their appeals.
May 5: The SC upholds the death penalty to four convicts, says the case falls under the category of ‘rarest of rare’ and that the offence created “tsunami of shock”.
Nov 8: Mukesh, one of the four convicts, moves the SC seeking review of its verdict upholding the capital punishment sentenced to him.
Dec 12: The Delhi Police opposes Mukesh’s plea in SC.
Dec 15: Convicts Vinay Sharma and Pawan Kumar Gupta move SC for review of its verdict.
May 4, 2018: SC reserves order on review plea by two condemned convicts–Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta.
Jul 9: SC dismisses review pleas of three convicts.
Feb, 2019: Victim’s parents move Delhi court for issuance of death warrants of the four convicts
Dec 10, 2019: Akshay moves plea in SC seeking review of his death penalty.
Dec 13: Victim’s mother moves SC opposing review plea of convict.
Dec 18: SC dismisses Akshay’s review plea. Delhi govt seeks death warrants for the execution of death sentence to the 4 convicts. Delhi court directs Tihar authorities to issue a notice to convicts to avail their remaining legal remedies.
Dec 19: Delhi HC dismisses plea of Pawan Kumar Gupta claiming he was a juvenile at the time of the offence.
Jan 6, 2020: Delhi court dismisses complaint filed by Pawan’s father seeking FIR against the sole witness.
Jan 7: Delhi court orders 4 convicts to be hanged on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar jail.
Jan 14: SC rejects curative petition of two of the four death row convicts Vinay Sharma (26) and Mukesh Kumar (32).
March 19: Supreme Court, Delhi High Court and lower court reject pleas by three convicts
March 20: The convicts hanged at Delhi’s Tihar Jail at 5.30 am.
