Four men accused in a rape trial that has both shocked and gripped India had their appeals for clemency quashed Thursday, as the victim’s family welcomed the judgment.
The four were initially sentenced to death last September for the rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in December 2012. The case appalled the nation, leading to a strengthening of the country’s laws protecting women.
Two female judges, Justices Reva Khetrapal and Pratibha Rani of the High Court of Delhi upheld the death penalty for four of the six men, Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh. A fifth, Ram Singh, hanged himself while in custody last year and the sixth, a minor when the crime was committed, was sentenced to a maximum of three years in a juvenile facility.
