Supreme Court confirms death for Nirbhaya convict

The Supreme Court has dismissed the review petition of Akshay Kumar Singh, convicted in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. Akshay's death sentence will remain intact. A review petition of Nirbhaya gang rape and murder accused Akshay Kumar Singh was heard on Wednesday by the bench of Justice R Banumati, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice AS Bopanna. 

"Review petition is not re-hearing of appeal over and over again," a three-judge bench said, dismissing the last such petition in the case.

Akshay's lawyer AP Singh, said that there was media and public pressure in this case. AP Singh said that political and media pressure has been immense in this matter. AP Singh also gave an example of the killing of a Delhi school boy. The bus conductor was first arrested by the police but the CBI found him innocent in this case. If the CBI does not investigate, the truth will not be revealed. That is why we had demanded an investigation from an agency like CBI in this case too.

Chief Justice S A Bobde on Tuesday had recused himself from the hearing saying one of his relatives had represented Nirbhaya.

The review petitions of the three other convicts, Mukesh, 30, Pawan Gupta, 23, and Vinay Sharma, 24, had been dismissed earlier. Ram Singh committed suicide and a juvenile was released after three years in a reform home.

Nirbhaya, 23-year-old paramedic student was gang-raped and murdered on a moving bus in south Delhi on December 16, 2012. She died on December 29 in Singapore.