The fate of four convicts in the December 16 gang-rape and murder case will soon be out as a Delhi court is likely to pronounce the much-awaited order on whether the convicts will be awarded the death penalty.
While the victim’s family demands nothing less than capital punishment, the convicts — Mukesh (26), Akshay Thakur (28), Pawan Gupta (19) and Vinay Sharma (20) — have begged for mercy before Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna, who had held them guilty of gang-rape, “premeditated” and “cold-blooded murder” of a “defenceless” 23-year-old paramedic. The charges of murder and gang-rape under which the accused have been convicted entail a maximum of death penalty and a minimum of life sentence. The Delhi Police had on Wednesday, sought death sentence for all convicts claiming there was “no scope for sympathy” for their barbaric crime and pressed that “some crimes are so outrageous that society also demands strict punishment”.
The defence counsel had, however, sought a chance for their reformation quoting the Mahatma: “Only God can give life and only He has the right to take it away.” The victim’s parents, however, said, “Why should the court show mercy when the accused didn’t show mercy to our daughterIJ”