NIRBHAYA GANGRAPE AND MURDER CASE: A BRIEF TIMELINE FROM DECEMBER 2012 TO JANUARY 2020!

Seven years since the brutal gangrape and murder of Nirbhaya on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012, the four convicts in the case who are currently on death row are supposed to be hanged on January 22.

Here, we bring to you a brief timeline of the case.

December 16, 2012: Nirbhaya and her friend Awindra Pratap Pandey board a bus from Munirka bus stand to reach their home in Dwarka. Six men gangrape Nirbhaya in the moving bus and torture her with an iron rod. Pandey is also assaulted while resisting the attack on Nirbhaya. The two are later thrown out of the bus naked and bleeding.

Up on information, the Delhi police reach the spot and rush Nirbhaya to Safdarjung Hospital. Her statement is recorded.

December 17, 2012: The accused are identified as Ram Singh, Mukesh, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta. An FIR is registered at the Vasant Vihar police station. Singh is arrested and accepts his involvement.

December 18, 2012: Widespread protests erupt across the country. The Delhi police arrest Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh.

December 19, 2012: Metropolitan magistrate Sandeep Garg initiates test identification parade proceedings against the accused Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta but they refuse to participate.

December 20, 2012: Pandey identifies Mukesh in the test identification parade.

December 21, 2012: The fifth and sixth accused in the case are arrested. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate Usha Chaturvedi records Nirbhaya's statement in the hospital.

December 25, 2012: Metropolitan Magistrate Pawan Kumar records Nirbhaya's statement through gestures.

December 26, 2012: Nirbhaya's health condition deteriorates. The doctors decide to shift her abroad for treatment. Pandey identifies the sixth accused Akshay Kumar Singh in the test identification parade.

December 27, 2012: Nirbhaya is shifted to the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

December 29, 2012: Nirbhaya breaths her last. Murder charges are added to FIR.

January 3, 2013: The charge sheet is filed against the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to murder, gangrape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences and dacoity.

January 4, 2013: A supplementary charge sheet is filed. The case is committed to the court of session.

March 11, 2013: Accused Ram Singh commits suicide in Tihar Jail.

August 31, 2013: The fifth accused in the case, a juvenile, gets three years imprisonment.

September 10, 2013: Session Judge convicts Akshay Kumar Singh, Vinay Sharma, Mukesh and Pawan Gupta under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and sentences them to death.

March 13, 2014: Delhi High Court confirms the death penalty.

March 15, 2014: Supreme Court bench stays the execution of the death sentence.

December 20, 2015: Juvenile is released from the correction home.

May 5, 2017: Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Dipak Mishra upholds the death penalty.

November 9, 2017: Mukesh files a review petition in the SC.

December 15, 2017: Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta file a review petition in the SC.

July 9, 2018: SC dismisses the review petitions.

November 8, 2019: Vinay Sharma writes a mercy petition to President Ram Nath Kovind.

December 1, 2019: Delhi govt recommends the rejection of Vinay's mercy petition.

December 10, 2019: Akshay Kumar Singh files a review petition in the SC.

December 13, 2019: Nirbhaya's mother moves SC opposing Akshay's review petition.

December 18, 2019: SC rejects Akshay's review petition.

December 19, 2019:  Delhi HC dismisses Pawan Gupta’s plea claiming that he was a juvenile during the gang-rape in 2012.

January 7, 2020: Patiala house court sets the date for execution of death penalty as January 22 in Tihar Jail.

January 14, 2020: SC dismisses curative petitions filed by Mukesh and Vinay Sharma. Mukesh then files a mercy plea before the president.