Delhi rape case protesters. Photograph by Ramesh Lalwani
A Delhi court has sentenced to death by hanging four men found guilty of the gang rape and murder of a student in the Indian capital.
Judge Yogesh Khanna said the case was the “rarest of rare” and sentenced Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta to death following their conviction last week. They were found guilty of rape, abduction, attempted murder, banditry, destruction of evidence, voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery, and dishonestly receiving stolen property.
Six men, including the four sentenced today at Saket court house, attacked a 23-year-old woman on a bus in December, with the woman dying two weeks later from her injuries.
The attack led to widespread protests across India over the way rape was perceived in the country and led to new laws being drafted against the crime, and fast-track courts being introduced to prosecute offenders.
A fifth defendant in the case, Ram Singh, previously hanged himself in his cell, whilst the sixth defendant was considered a juvenile under Indian law when he committed the crimes and has been sentenced to three years in a correctional facility.
