Nirbhaya Convicts Using Legal Loopholes To Escape Death Sentence: Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said it is sad that the convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya case are “escaping death sentence” by using legal loopholes, stressing that there is an urgent need to amend the laws to ensure hanging in cases of rape within six months. Kejriwal tweeted his reaction to a Delhi court postponing the execution of death warrants of the four convicts in the gangrape and murder case till further order.

"It saddens me that convicts in Nirbhaya case are escaping death sentence by using legal loopholes. They should be immediately hanged. We are in dire need to amend our law so that in cases of rape, hanging takes place within 6 months," he said in the tweet in Hindi.

Hopes Dashed But Will Fight Till Convicts Are Hanged: Nirbhaya's Mother

Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi on Friday said she will continue her fight till the convicts in the 2012 gangrape and murder case are hanged, shortly after a Delhi court postponed the execution of death warrants till further order. Asha Devi told reporters her “hopes are dashed” but she will continue her fight.

“These convicts have no right to live. We keep getting disappointed by the system. I will continue my fight till the convicts are hanged,” she said. A Delhi court postponed the execution of death warrants of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case till further order.

Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana passed the order on a plea by the convicts seeking a stay on their execution on Saturday, February 1. Asha Devi said because of the loopholes in law the “criminals’ lawyers had the audacity to challenge me in court that they will not be hanged”.

The black warrants for execution of the death sentence against Pawan Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma, Akshay Kumar and Mukesh Kumar Singh, were issued on January 17.

A 23-year-old physiotherapy intern who came to be known as “Nirbhaya” (the fearless one) was gangraped and savagely assaulted on the night of December 16, 2012, in a moving bus in South Delhi. She died of her injuries a fortnight later in a Singapore hospital.