Justice was delayed but not denied, said Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi, after four of her daughter’s rapists and killers were hanged at Tihar Jail in Delhi early on March 20.
“It is a victory for all women and daughters. I want to thank everyone, judiciary and government for this. The way the courts acted proactively in last 24 hours, in the dismissal of all petitions filed by the convicts, has restored my faith in the system that was shaken over the past seven years,” said Ms. Devi.
Nirbhaya’s father Badrinath Singh said that he and his wife had not slept a wink, awaiting justice, and the day finally came.
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“Finally, the entire country and society got justice. The entire country and the system was awake for the justice of my daughter. The dawn on Friday will be a sign of a better future for the daughters and women of this nation. I am really very thankful to each and everyone who has supported us for the last seven years,” said Ms. Devi.
“For the last four to five months, we have been running to each and every court and finally, justice was delivered. Seven years later, justice was served. I thank all the media persons as well,” she added.
“I will keep fighting for the daughters who are fighting a legal battle. My daughter got justice and now I will ensure other women also get justice and what happened to my daughter should never get repeated,” she added.
The hanging of four convicts will bring a huge change in society and their mindset towards women. It will set an example in society and parents will teach their sons to respect women, she said.
After the hanging of the four men convicted in the gangerape and murder of Nirbhaya, her father appealed that the day be observed as Nirbhaya ‘Nyay Diwas’.
“When the Supreme Court declined to stay the execution, I reached home and hugged my daughter’s picture and said that she got the justice,” said Ms. Devi.
“I request all parents to stand with your daughters and report crime. The journey to justice might be long but stay with your daughter until the criminal is behind bars,” she added.
“We all have waited for so long for this day. And, today’s dawn will be a new dawn as my daughter will get justice. It will also be a new dawn for daughters of India,” Ms. Devi said.
“We haven’t slept the whole night, running from the High Court to Supreme Court late night. We will request Supreme Court to frame fresh guidelines over cases related to crime against women. The way the convicts used tactics to delay their death sentence, it should not be done by anyone in future. The judgment and its execution in crime against women cases should be time-framed,” she requested.
