Four accused in Delhi gangrape and murder case brought to court

New Delhi: 10:15 am: The court's verdict in the Delhi gangrape and murder case will be pronounced at 12:30 pm.

9:57 am: The four accused in the Delhi gangrape-murder case have been brought to a fast-track court in Delhi, which is set to pronounce its verdict. There's heavy security both inside and outside the court.

Almost nine months after six men brutally gangraped and murderously assaulted a 23-year-old paramedical student inside a private bus in Delhi, a fast-track court will deliver its verdict in the case on Tuesday. The brutal gangrape and assault in the heart of Delhi jolted the citizenry who came out in large numbers in different cities especially the national capital to protest against the extremely macabre crime.

The protests continued for days even as the braveheart battled for life in a Delhi hospital where she also gave statements to the magistrate which later proved very crucial during the trial.

The tragic incident took place on the evening of December 16, 2012 when the paramedical student along with her male friend was lured into the bus by six men who promised to take them to their destination.

Once the duo was inside the bus, the six started to misbehave with the girl. As the girl and her friend protested, the gang brutally assaulted the boy and dragged the girl to the back of the bus and brutalised her. They not only raped her repeatedly but also beat her up brutally and thrust an iron rod inside her which resulted in grievous injuries.

After committing the heinous crime, the girl and her friend were thrown out of the bus where the police found them in critical condition. The girl was admitted to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital where the doctors were shocked to see her injuries. They said that they had never seen the kind of injuries in a case of sexual assault that the girl had suffered.

Even as protests continued day and night in the biting cold in Delhi, crass comments by some politicians vitiated the environment. Massive protests continued for severakl days before the government finally woke up to the demand for stronger laws to deal with sexual crimes. Several people called for public hearing, punishment and even chemical castration for the rapists.

While all these events were played out on the streets, the Delhi braveheart was slowly sinking. The government finally decided to shift her to the Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital for specialised treatment. But the move was of not much help and the braveheart died on December 29.

According to the prosecution the five major accused - Ram Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, Mukesh - along with the juvenile, who was tried by the Juvenile Justice Board, had allegedly gangraped the 23-year-old girl on a moving bus after luring her and her 28-year-old male friend.

During the trial, Ram Singh was found dead in Tihar Jail on March 11 and court proceedings against him stand abated. The minor, who was 17-and-half years old at the time of the incident and turned 18 during the trial, was held guilty by the Juvenile Justice Board and sent to three years in a correctional home, the maximum term permissible under the Juvenile Justice Act.

His sentence will include the period he has already spent in the remand home. He will spend just 2 years and 3 months at the correctional facility as he was been in a in remand for nine months.

The gangrape victim's family, dissatisfied with the sentence, has said it will go to higher courts to demand greater punishment. "I am not satisfied with the sentencing. I have seen my sister die. She was brutalised by these men and she died a thousand times everyday. My entire family has been devastated. I cannot accept this sentencing," said the braveheart's brother.

"I will appeal in the higher courts. I will not accept this judgement. This sentencing is not enough. My mother cried after the verdict," he added.

"If this was the only sentence that was to be given, they could have given it earlier. We are not satisfied with it," said the braveheart's mother.

Now as the nation awaits the verdict, the bravehearts family is hoping for the strictest possible punishment for the accused.

"Before leaving she had said that she'll be back in two hours. I am still waiting for that moment. I still remember my child's face in Safdarjung hospital, how she laid lifeless there," the mother of the braveheart said.

Today the family says its first priority is to ensure justice for their daughter. "We have faith in the judiciary. The accused should be hanged," the braveheart's father demanded. The Delhi braveheart's family now thanks the protestors who took to the streets for the courage to carry on their fight. "When people in the country stood by us, we became hopeful," the father said.