The four men convicted of the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in New Delhi, who later died, have been sentenced to death by an Indian court.
“This has shocked the collective conscience of society,” Judge Yogesh Khanna said on Friday, reports Reuters. The four men - Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta - were sentenced to death by hanging. They were convicted earlier this week and politicians voiced support for a rare death sentence.
“In these times when crime against women is on the rise, courts cannot turn a blind eye towards such gruesome crime,” Khanna said. “There cannot be any tolerance ... This crime in every way falls within the rarest of rare category warranting a death sentence.”
The woman was attacked in December and died two weeks later. It sparked a national debate about the rising violent crimes against women in India. According to The BBC, the woman’s name has never been released due to legal restrictions.
“We are very happy. Justice has been delivered,” the woman’s father said as he left the courtroom, the AP reported. The four men yelled, “Brothers, save us!” as they left the room. They have denied responsibility and do have the option of appealing to the Supreme Court.
The death sentence was not without its detractors though. Tara Rao, Director of Amnesty International India, said that it accomplished “nothing except short-term revenge” and called it a “‘quick-fix’ solution,” notes the BBC. Rao noted that it would take much more to curb violence against women in India.