Nirbhaya rape case: BJP, Congress confident of SC delivering justice

Lucknow/New Delhi: As the Supreme Court is set to deliver the much-awaited verdict in the December 16 Nirbhaya gang rape case, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party expressed their full faith on the Supreme Court.

"The whole country is waiting for judgment in the Nirbhaya case. The case raised the question on legal system of this country, after which lot of changes took place in legal system. We have complete faith on Supreme Court. Complete justice will be given to her and family. The Supreme Court will take strict action against accused," BJP leader Rita Bahuguna said.

Echoing the similar sentiments, Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad said, "We have full faith on the Supreme Court that they will give severe punishment to accused."

The matter is being heard by the apex court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra and consisting of Justices R. Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan.

The convicts - Akshay, Pawan, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh - challenged the Delhi High Court order which had sentenced them to the gallows.

Earlier, the trial court also had sentenced all the four convicts to death penalty.

It is being expected that the apex court would not grant relief to the accused as Justice Dipak Misra doesn't hesitate to give a death sentence and is exceedingly sensitive to women's rights and liberties.

He upheld rape as depravity and not curable and recently passed a woman friendly judgement saying that "no woman can be compelled to love; she always has right to say no".

In December, 2012, six people gang raped a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern in a moving bus. The woman succumbed to her injuries in a Singapore hospital on December 29, 2012.

One of the accused, Ram Singh hanged himself in prison, while another person, who was a juvenile at the time of the crime, was convicted in August last year and will serve the maximum sentence of three years in a reform home.