Breaking: Supreme Court reserves verdict in Nirbhaya case

The Supreme Court today reserved its verdict in the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, popularly known as the Nirbhaya case. A Bench of Justices Dipak Misra, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan reserved its verdict today after nearly a year of hearing..Advocates ML Sharma and AP Singh appeared for the four accused, while Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra was the Special Public Prosecutor. Senior Advocates Sanjay Hegde and Raju Ramachandran served as Amicus Curiae in the matter.The case, which shook the nation owing to the media’s accounts of its brutality, saw major developments during the hearings.Out of the six accused in the case, one a juvenile, was tried by the Juvenile Justice Board which found him guilty and sentenced him to 3 years at a Special home. He was released in December 2015 after he served his term.The main accused in the case, Ram Singh, had committed suicide inside the Jail.In September of 2013, the remaining four accused were sentenced to death by the fast track court. The Delhi High Court had upheld the death sentence on March 13, 2014 whereupon the accused had appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had stayed the execution of the accused on March 15, 2014.In a rather unusual departure from protocol, the Court heard the counsel on the sentencing aspect afresh. It also allowed the convicts to present their mitigating circumstances before the Court.The Bench today reserved its verdict, after Amicus Sanjay Hegde expressed his appreciation for the counsel for the accused, noting,“It is very easy in these circumstances to say that I will not defend X, Y or Z. Mr. Sharma and Mr. Singh took up the cause.”With closure finally on the horizon in the high profile case, what remains to be seen is whether the High Court verdict will be upheld by the Supreme Court.