The four convicts in the horrific 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case — Mukesh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) — were executed on March 20, Friday, at 5.30 am. The brutal gangrape-and-murder of a 23-year-old woman on December 16, 2012, had shaken the entire nation and the trial in the case has spanned over seven years. Here is a brief chronology of events since December 16:
December 16, 2012: The paramedical student was gangraped and brutally assaulted by five men and a juvenile in a private bus and thrown out of the moving vehicle along with her male friend. The victims were admitted to Safdarjung Hospital.
December 17: Widespread protests erupted across Delhi and many parts of India, demanding stringent action against the accused. Delhi police identified the accused — bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta.
December 18: Ram Singh and three others were arrested.
December 20: Victim's friend, who was with her on the bus, testified.
December 21: The juvenile in the case was nabbed from Anand Vihar bus terminal in Delhi. Victim's friend identified Mukesh as one of the culprits. Police conducted raids in Haryana and Bihar to nab the sixth accused, Akshay Thakur.
December 21-22: Akshay Thakur was arrested in Aurangabad district of Bihar and was brought to Delhi. The victim recorded her statement before the Sub-Divisional Magistrate in hospital.
December 23: Protesters defied prohibitory orders and took to the streets demanding justice for the victim. Delhi police constable Subhash Tomar, on duty to control protests, was rushed to hospital with serious injuries.
December 25: The victim’s condition was declared critical. Constable Tomar succumbed to his injuries.
December 26: Following a cardiac arrest, the victim was transported to Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital by the government.
December 29: Victim succumbed to her injuries at the hospital in Singapore. Delhi police then added murder charge in the FIR against the six accused.
January 2, 2013: Then Chief Justice of India, Altamas Kabir, inaugurated a fast track court (FTC) for a speedy trial in sexual offence cases.
January 3: Delhi police filed chargesheet against five adults who were accused of murder, gangrape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences and dacoity.
January 5: Delhi court took cognisance of the chargesheet.
January 7: Court ordered in-camera proceedings.
January 17: A fast track court started proceedings against the five adult accused.
January 28: Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) stated that it has been proved that the juvenile is a minor.
February 2: Fast track court framed charges against five adult accused.
February 28: Juvenile Justice Board framed charges against the minor accused.
March 11: Accused Ram Singh allegedly took his own life in Tihar Jail.
March 22: Delhi High Court allowed national media to report the trial court's proceedings.
July 5: Inquiry (trial) in Juvenile Justice Board against the juvenile in concluded. The Juvenile Justice Board reserved the verdict for July 11.
July 8: The fast track court completed the recording of testimonies of the prosecution witnesses.
July 11: Juvenile Justice Board held minor also guilty of illegally confining and robbing a carpenter on December 16, one night before taking part in the gangrape. On the same day, the Delhi High Court also allowed three international news agencies to cover the trial in the case.
August 22: Fast track court began hearing of the final arguments in the trial against four adult accused.
August 31: Juvenile Justice Board convicted the minor for gangrape and murder and awarded three-year term at a probation home.
September 3: Fast track court concluded the trial and reserved its verdict.
September 10: Mukesh, Vinay, Akshay, Pawan were convicted of 13 offences including gangrape, unnatural offence and murder of the woman and attempt to murder her male friend.
September 13: Court sentenced all four convicts to death.
September 23: Delhi High Court began hearing the convicts' death sentence after a reference was sent to it by the trial court.
January 3, 2014: Delhi High Court reserved the verdict on convicts' appeals.
March 13: Delhi High Court upheld the death penalty to the four convicts.
March 15: After two of the convicts, Mukesh and Pawan, filed appeals in the Supreme Court, the apex court stayed their execution. Later, the court also stayed the execution of other convicts.
April 15: Supreme Court directed Delhi police to produce the dying declaration of the victim.
February 3, 2017: Supreme Court stated that it will hear afresh the aspect of sentencing the convicts to death.
March 27: Supreme Court reserved the verdict on their appeals.
May 5: Supreme Court upheld the death penalty to four convicts. The court in its judgement stated that the case falls under the category of 'rarest of rare' and the offence created a "tsunami of shock.”
November 8: Mukesh, one of the four death row convicts in the case, moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of its verdict upholding the capital punishment awarded to him.
December 12: Delhi police opposed Mukesh's plea in the Supreme Court.
December 15: Convicts Vinay Sharma and Pawan Kumar Gupta moved the Supreme Court for a review of its verdict.
May 4, 2018: Supreme Court reserved its order on the review plea by two death row convicts, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta.
July 9: Supreme Court dismissed the review pleas of three convicts.
February 14, 2019: Nirbhaya’s parents moved a Delhi court asking that the issuance of death warrants of the four convicts be fast-tracked.
December 10, 2019: Death row convict Akshay moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of his death penalty.
December 13: Nirbhaya’s mother moved the Supreme Court opposing the review plea of convict Akshay.
December 18: Supreme Court dismissed Akshay's review plea. The same day, the Delhi government sought the issuance of death warrants for the execution of the death sentence to the four convicts. A Delhi court directed Tihar authorities to issue a notice to convicts to avail their remaining legal remedies.
December 19: Delhi High Court dismissed the plea of death row convict Pawan Kumar Gupta claiming he was a juvenile at the time of the offence.
January 6, 2020: A Delhi court dismissed a complaint filed by Pawan's father seeking FIR against the sole witness in the case.
January 7: A Delhi court ordered four death row convicts to be hanged on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar jail.
January 14: Supreme Court dismissed curative petitions filed by two convicts, Vinay Kumar and Mukesh.
January 15: Delhi HC refused to set aside the death warrant issued against convict Mukesh. Mukesh had moved the Delhi High Court challenging the death warrant issued against him. He then moved a trial court in Delhi. Delhi court was informed that the execution of the convicts cannot take place on January 22 since a 14-day notice must be provided to the convicts after the rejection of the mercy plea.
January 17: The Ministry of Home Affairs sent the mercy petition of convict Mukesh Singh to President Ram Nath Kovind and recommended that it be rejected. President Ram Nath Kovind then rejected Mukesh’s mercy petition.
January 17: A Delhi court issued a fresh death warrant for the four convicts, setting the time of execution to 6 am on February 1 Delhi's Tihar Jail. One of the convicts, Pawan, moved the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court order dismissing his plea that he was a juvenile at the time of the incident in December 2012.
January 20: The Supreme Court rejected Pawan’s petition claiming he was a juvenile at the time of the incident.
January 29: The Supreme Court dismissed convict Mukesh Singh's plea seeking judicial review of the rejection of his mercy petition by the President. Another convict, Vinay Kumar Sharma sent a mercy petition to President Ram Nath Kovind.
January 30: Lawyer for death row convicts moved the Delhi court seeking a stay of execution scheduled for February 1.
January 30: Supreme Court rejected the curative petition of Akshay seeking a stay on the death sentence.
February 1: In view of the pendency of the mercy plea filed by convict Vinay Sharma, Delhi court issued stay on the death warrants issued against the four death row convicts. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) along with Tihar Jail authorities moved the Delhi High Court challenging the trial court order putting a stay on the death warrants issued against the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.
February 5: Delhi High Court dismissed Centre's plea. President Ram Nath Kovind rejected the mercy petition of convict Akshay Kumar Singh
February 6: Tihar jail moved Delhi court seeking fresh death warrants against four convicts.
February 17: Delhi court issued fresh death warrants against the convicts, set execution time to 6 a.m. on March 3.
February 20: Convict Vinay Sharma moves court seeking better treatment seeking better treatment for his claimed mental illness, schizophrenia and injuries in head and arm.
February 22: Delhi court dismissed Vinay Sharma’s seeking treatment for mental illness, schizophrenia and injuries in head and arm. Court said he was being given regular medical care and regular supportive therapy sessions conducted for him by specialists.
February 28: Convict Pawan filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court, seeking commutation of capital punishment to life imprisonment.
February 29: Convict Akshay files mercy petition before President
March 2: Supreme Court dismissed convict Pawan’s curative petition. On the same day, Pawan filed a mercy petition before the President of India. The execution, scheduled for March 3, was deferred again.
March 4: President Ram Nath Kovind rejected mercy petition of convict Pawan. Delhi government moved court seeking fresh death warrants against the convicts.
March 5: Delhi court issued fresh death warrants, directed the convicts to be hanged on March 20 at 5.30 am.
March 9: Convict Vinay Sharma approached Delhi LG seeking to commute death sentence to life imprisonment.
March 11: Delhi court issued notice to Mandoli jail authorities on an application filed by one of the convicts in Nirbhaya rape case seeking FIR against two police personnel for allegedly beating him.
March 13: Convict Vinay Sharma approached the Delhi High Court alleging constitutional irregularities committed by the Delhi government while recommending his mercy plea to the President.
March 16: Three convicts approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking a stay on their execution scheduled for March 20.
March 17: Mukesh Singh moved court to seek quashing of his death sentence on the pretext that he was not present in Delhi when the crime occurred on December 16 that year.
March 17: Pawan Gupta moved Supreme Court claiming to be a juvenile.
March 17: Delhi court dismissed application moved by Mukesh Singh seeking quashing of the death penalty awarded to him.
March 18: 'Dummy trial' held on the prison premises at Tihar jail.
March 18: Mukesh Singh moved the Delhi High Court challenging the trial court order which had dismissed his plea seeking stay on the execution. He had claimed he was not in New Delhi at the time of the crime. Delhi High Court dismissed his application.
March 19: Supreme Court dismissed the curative petition preferred by Pawan Gupta, one of the four convicts
March 19: Delhi court dismissed an application filed by the convicts seeking a stay on their execution on the grounds of pending legal remedies.
March 19: A day before they were to be hanged, the four convicts approached the Delhi High Court late at night to try and stay their execution scheduled. After a day-long hearing, the Delhi High Court held a midnight hearing.
March 20: Four hours before their execution, the Delhi High Court upheld the death warrants.
March 20: At 3 am, the counsel of Pawan Gupta moved the Supreme Court challenging the rejection of the second mercy plea by the President Ram Nath Kovind and seeking stay on the death sentence.
March 20: At 3.40 am, a three-judge bench headed by Justice R Banumathi and comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice A S Bopanna rejected his plea.
March 20: At 5.30 am, with a large crowd gathered outside Tihar jail, the four convicts were hanged to death.