All the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case were executed on Friday (March 20) at 5.30 am hours after the Supreme Court and the trial court rejected their last-minute plea against their sentence, ending their bid to stave off the final fate.
Following is the chronology of events in the Nirbhaya case -- the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old girl on December 16, 2012.
Dec 16, 2012: Paramedical student gang-raped and brutally assaulted by six men in a private bus and thrown out of the moving vehicle along with her male friend. The victims admitted to Safdarjung Hospital.
Dec 17: Widespread protests erupt demanding stringent action against the accused. - Police identify the accused - bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta.
Dec 18: Ram Singh and three others arrested.
Dec 20: Victim's friend testifies.
Dec 21: Delinquent juvenile nabbed from Anand Vihar bus terminal in Delhi. Victim's friend identifies Mukesh as one of the culprits. Police conduct raids in Haryana and Bihar to nab the sixth accused, Akshay Thakur.
Dec 21-22: Thakur arrested in the Aurangabad district of Bihar and brought to Delhi. Victim records statement before the SDM in hospital.
Dec 23: Protesters defy prohibitory orders, take to the streets. Delhi Police Constable Subhash Tomar, on duty to control protests, rushed to hospital with serious injuries.
Dec 25: Girl's condition declared critical. Constable Tomar succumbs to injuries.
Dec 26: Following a cardiac arrest, victim is flown to Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital by the government.
Dec 29: Victim succumbs to injuries and other medical conditions. Police add murder charges in the FIR.
Jan 2, 2013: Then Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir inaugurates fast track court (FTC) for speedy trial in sexual offence cases.
Jan 3: Police file charge sheet against five adults accused of murder, gang rape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences, and dacoity.
Jan 5: Court takes cognisance of the charge sheet.
Jan 7: Court orders in-camera proceedings.
Jan 17: FTC starts proceedings against the five adult accused.
Jan 28: Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) says minority of juvenile accused is proved.
Feb 2: FTC frames charges against five adult accused. - Feb 28: JJB frames charges against the minor.
Mar 11: Ram Singh commits suicide in Tihar Jail. - Mar 22: Delhi HC allows national media to report the trial court's proceedings.
Jul 5: Inquiry (trial) in JJB against the juvenile in concludes. JJB reserves verdict for July 11.
Jul 8: FTC completes the recording of testimonies of prosecution witnesses.
Jul 11: JJB holds minor also guilty of illegally confining and robbing a carpenter on December 16, the night before allegedly taking part in the gang rape. - Delhi High Court allows three international news agencies to cover the trial in the case.
Aug 22: FTC begins hearing final arguments in the trial against four adult accused.
Aug 31: JJB convicts the minor for gang rape and murder and awards three-year term at a probation home.
Sep 3: FTC concludes trial. Reserves verdict. - Sep 10: Court convicts Mukesh, Vinay, Akshay, Pawan of 13 offences including gang rape, unnatural offence and murder of the girl and attempt to murder her male friend.
Sep 13: Court awards death penalty to all 4 convicts.
Sep 23: HC begins hearing the convicts' death sentence reference sent to it by the trial court.
Jan 3, 2014: HC reserves verdict on convicts' appeals.
Mar 13: HC upholds the death penalty to the 4 convicts.
Mar 15: SC stays execution of 2 convicts, Mukesh and Pawan after they file appeals. Later, stays execution of other convicts also.
Apr 15: SC directs police to produce the dying declaration of the victim. - Feb 3, 2017: SC says it would hear afresh the aspect of awarding death penalty to the convicts.
Mar 27: SC reserves verdict on their appeals.
May 5: SC upholds the death penalty to four convicts, says the case falls under the category of 'rarest of rare' and the offence created "tsunami of shock".
Nov 8: Mukesh, one of the four death row convicts in the case, moves SC seeking review of its verdict upholding the capital punishment awarded to him.
Dec 12: Delhi Police opposes Mukesh's plea in SC.
Dec 15: Convicts Vinay Sharma and Pawan Kumar Gupta move SC for review of its verdict.
May 4, 2018: SC reserves order on review plea by two condemned convicts--Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta.
Jul 9: SC dismisses review pleas of three convicts.
Feb, 2019: Victim's parents move Delhi court for issuance of death warrants of the four convicts
Dec 10, 2019: Akshay moves plea in SC seeking review of his death penalty.
Dec 13: Victim's mother moves SC opposing review plea of convict
Dec 18: SC dismisses Akshay's review plea. - Delhi govt seeks death warrants for execution of death sentence to the 4 convicts - Delhi court directs Tihar authorities to issue a notice to convicts to avail their remaining legal remedies.
Dec 19: Delhi HC dismisses the plea of Pawan Kumar Gupta claiming he was a juvenile at the time of the offence.
Jan 6, 2020: Delhi court dismisses a complaint filed by Pawan's father seeking FIR against sole witness.
Jan 7: Delhi court orders four convicts to be hanged on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar jail.
Jan 9: Mukesh Singh files curative petition before the Supreme Court.
Jan 9: Vinay Kumar Singh files a curative petition before the Supreme Court.
Jan 14: Convict Mukesh Singh moves mercy petition before President.
Jan 14: Supreme Court dismissed curative petitions of Mukesh Singh and Vinay Sharma.
Jan 14: Mukesh Singh approaches Delhi High Court seeking to set aside the trial court order issuing the death warrant.
Jan 15: Mukesh Singh approaches a Delhi court seeking to postpone execution due to pending mercy petition.
Jan 17: President Ram Nath Kovind rejects mercy petition of Mukesh Singh.
Jan 17: Delhi court issues fresh death warrants on February 1 at 6 am.
Jan 18: Pawan Gupta files a special leave petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court claiming that he was a juvenile at the time of crime.
Jan 20: Supreme Court dismisses Pawan Gupta’s SLP.
Jan 25: Mukesh Singh moves Supreme Court challenging the rejection of mercy plea.
Jan 28: Akshay Kumar Singh files curative petition in Supreme Court.
Jan 29: Supreme Court rejects Mukesh Singh’s plea challenging the rejection of mercy petition.
Jan 29: Convict Akshay Kumar approaches the Supreme Court with a curative petition.
Jan 29: Vinay Sharma files mercy petition before President Ram Nath Kovind.
Jan 30: Convicts move a Delhi court seeking a stay on the execution scheduled on February 1.
Jan 30: Supreme Court rejects curative plea of Akshay Kumar Singh.
Jan 31: Pawan Gupta files a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging its earlier order that dismissed his juvenile plea.
Jan 31: Supreme Court dismisses Pawan Gupta’s review petition of his juvenile plea.
Jan 31: Delhi court again postpones execution of the death warrants until further order.
Feb 1: President rejects mercy petition of Vinay Sharma.
Feb 1: Akshay Kumar Singh files mercy petition before the President.
Feb 1: Centre moves High Court against the trial court order.
Feb 5: High Court dismisses Centre plea against trial court order; says all four convicts have to be hanged together. It directs the convicts to pursue all legal remedies within a week, failing which the authorities ordered to take action in accordance with the law.
Feb 5: President rejects Akshay Kumar Singh’s mercy petition.
Feb 6: Tihar jail authorities approach trial court to issue fresh date for execution.
Feb 7: A Delhi court dismisses fresh date of execution of convicts.
Feb 11: Vinay Sharma files writ petition before Supreme Court challenging the rejection of mercy plea.
Feb 14: Supreme Court rejects Vinay Sharma’s plea challenging the rejection of mercy petition.
Feb 17: Delhi court issues a death warrant for March 3 for all the four convicts of Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.
Feb 20: Nirbhaya convicts file a complaint before the Election Commission of India because the mercy petition of Vinay Sharma was forwarded to the President at a time when the Model Code of Conduct was in force in Delhi.
Feb 28: Pawan Gupta files a curative petition before the Supreme Court commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment.
Feb 29: Akshay Singh moves “complete” mercy petition, claiming that earlier petition by him, which was dismissed by the President, was “incomplete”.
Mar 2: Supreme Court dismisses curative petition filed by Pawan Gupta.
Mar 2: Delhi court stays execution of convicts.
Mar 4: President Ram Nath Kovind rejects mercy petition on Pawan Gupta.
Mar 5: Delhi court issues fresh death warrants for March 20 at 5:30 am.
Mar 12: Family members of convicts write to President seeking permission for euthanasia.
Mar 16: Three of the four convicts approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking a stay on execution.
Mar 18: Mukesh Singh approaches Delhi High Court challenging trial court order.
Mar 18: Akshay Kumar Singh’s wife files a divorce petition in Bihar court.
Mar 19: Akshay Kumar Singh moves Supreme Court challenging rejection of mercy petition.
Mar 19: Supreme Court dismisses Akshay Kumar Singh’s petition challenging Delhi High Court order.
Mar 19: Delhi Patiala House court refuses to stay execution scheduled for March 20.
Mar 19: Supreme Court dismisses Akshay Kumar Singh’s petition challenging the rejection of mercy petition by the President.
Mar 19: Supreme Court rejects Mukesh Singh’s review plea claiming that he was not in Delhi at the time of the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder. A lower court has earlier rejected his plea.
Mar 20: All the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case were executed at 5.30 am in Tihar jail.