Man to be executed for bus gang rape and murder after Indian Supreme Court rejects final appeal

‘The entire country wants justice for her,’ victim’s father says

A candle lit by demonstrators is seen during a demonstration in New Delhi (AFP via Getty Images)

The final appeal of a man sentenced to death for the shocking gang rape and murder of a woman on a bus has been rejected by the Indian Supreme Court.

The court’s decision will allow death warrants to be issued against the four men convicted of the crime.

Akshay Kumar filed a review petition earlier this month saying he should be spared from the death penalty because “pollution” was already killing him.

All four men filed review petitions which have now all been rejected.

The 2012 case of 23-year-old Jyoti Singh, who was also known as “Nirbhaya“ meaning “Fearless”, forced a conversation about violence against women in India and prompted the government to impose more stringent penalties in rape cases.

Ms Singh was repeatedly raped by six men after she boarded a private bus with a friend, who was beaten and knocked unconscious.

After nearly an hour of driving around Delhi assaulting her, they dumped the victims on the side of the road. Ms Singh died from her injuries two weeks after the assault.

One of the men arrested for the crime was a minor at the time of the assault, while another allegedly killed themselves while imprisoned in 2015.

Asha Devi, Ms Singh’s mother, told reporters she was “very happy” with the Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss Kumar’s final appeal.

However, she was reportedly distraught when a court in Delhi adjourned the hearing for the issuance of death warrants against the four men until January, reported the Times of India.

On Wednesday, the Patiala House court said it would wait for a copy of the Supreme Court’s judgement before issuing the death warrants.

Ms Singh’s father, Badrinath, told reporters: “We have had a painful journey. The Supreme Court has rejected the review plea but we will not be happy till the time the Patiala House court issues death warrants.

“The entire country wants justice for her.”