Justice Has Prevailed: PM Narendra Modi On Nirbhaya Convicts' Hanging At Tihar Jail

'Justice has prevailed,' tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi after all four convicts of Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case were hanged inside Tihar Jail at 5:30 am on Friday. The execution came after a long-drawn battle that went on for seven years and three months. Talking about 'Nari Shakti', PM Modi said that, 'It is of utmost importance to ensure dignity and safety of women. Our Nari Shakti has excelled in every field. Together, we have to build a nation where the focus is on women empowerment, where there is emphasis on equality and opportunity.'  Other leaders including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal also expressed satisfaction over the execution. Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) were executed at 5.30 am on Friday morning. The hanging that took place in the darkness of pre-dawn marked the conclusion of a case that shook India's soul and may have lasting impact on its legal system.

Justice has prevailed.

It is of utmost importance to ensure dignity and safety of women.

Our Nari Shakti has excelled in every field. Together, we have to build a nation where the focus is on women empowerment, where there is emphasis on equality and opportunity.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 20, 2020

The Delhi Chief Minister hailed the perseverance of Nirbhaya's mother. He also said today is the day to take a pledge so that there are no more Nirbhayas in the future. "Seven years later, Nirbhaya''s convicts were hanged. Today is the day to take a pledge - that there will be no second Nirbhaya . Police, courts, state government, central government - everyone has to take a pledge that together we will remove the loopholes of the system and will not let this happen to any daughter in future," Kejriwal said.

Realising that not much time is left after the issuance of black warrants, the four death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case immediately turned active and started filing various petitions before different forums making last attempts to escape the gallows or at least delay the hanging. The convicts, who did not seek any further action after the Supreme Court dismissed their appeals challenging their death penalty and review pleas of three of them in May 2017 and July 2018, vigorously started pursuing the legal remedies left to them from January 7 onwards as a trial court had fixed January 20 for their hanging. The 23-year-old paramedic student who came to be known as 'Nirbhaya' was gang-raped and brutally assaulted on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012 in a moving bus in south Delhi by six people before she was thrown out on the road. Her friend who was with her was also severely beaten and thrown out along with her. She was so severely violated that she died in a Singapore hospital after battling for her life for a fortnight. Six people, including the four convicts and the juvenile, were named as accused.

(With agency inputs)