In the first conviction in the December 16 gang rape case, juvenile justice board today found the minor offender guilty of murder and rape of the 23-year-old girl and sentenced him to three-year prison term.
Following is the chronology of the events in the brutal gang rape-cum-murder case:
*Dec 16, 2012: A paramedic student was gangraped and brutally assaulted by six persons in a private bus and thrown out of the moving vehicle along with her male friend. They were admitted to Safdarjung Hospital.
*Dec 17: Police identified four accused -- the bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta.
*Dec 18: Ram Singh and three others were 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 conducts raids in Haryana and Bihar to nab the sixth accused, Akshay Thakur.
*Dec 22: Thakur arrested in Aurangabad district of Bihar.
Victim records statement before the SDM in hospital.
*Dec 23: Protesters defy prohibitory orders, took to streets against the incident. Constable Subhash Tomar rushed to hospital with fatal injuries.
*Dec 25: Doctors term victim’s condition critical. In the meantime, constable Tomar succumbs to injuries.
*Dec 26: Government decides to take victim to Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital following a cardiac arrest.
*Dec 29: Victim succumbs to injuries and other medical conditions at 2:15 am.
Police adds murder charge in the FIR.
*Jan 2, 2013: CJI Altamas Kabir inaugurates fast track court (FTC) for speedy trial in the case.
*Jan 3: Police files charge sheet against five adult accused for offences including murder, gangrape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences and dacoity etc.
*Jan 5: Court takes cognisance of the charge sheet.
*Jan 7: Court orders in-camera proceedings.
*Jan 17: FTC starts proceedings against five adult accused.
*Jan 28: JJB says minority of an 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 FTC proceedings.
*Jul 5: Inquiry (trial) in JJB against juvenile in gangrape—cum—murder case and robbery matter concludes. JJB to pronounce verdict on July 11.
*Jul 8: FTC completes recording of testimonies of prosecution witnesses in the case.
*Jul 11: JJB defers to July 25 its verdict in the case against the minor.
JJB holds minor guilty of illegally confining and robbing a carpenter on December 16 night before allegedly taking part in the gangrape.
*Jul 25: JJB again defers to August 5 the verdict in gangrape—cum—murder case after a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking fresh interpretation of term “juvenile“.
*Jul 31: SC asks JJB not to pronounce verdict in the case till it decides the PIL of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.
*Aug 5: JJB defers verdict to August 19 pursuant to apex court’s direction.
*Aug 14: SC reserves order on maintainability of Swamy’s PIL.
*Aug 19: JJB again defers verdict to August 31.
*Aug 22: SC allows JJB to pronounce its verdict in the December 16 gangrape—cum—murder case involving the minor.
*Aug 31, 2013: JJB convicts the minor for gangrape and murder and awards three years term at a probation home.
*Sep 3: FTC concludes trial. Reserves verdict.
*Sep 10: Court convicts Mukesh, Vinay, Akshay, Pawan of 13 offences including gangrape, unnatural offence and murder of the girl and attempt to murder her male friend.
*Sep 13: Court awards death to all four 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 death penalty awarded to the four convicts.
*Mar 15: SC stays execution of 2 convicts, Mukesh and Pawan after they filed appeals. Later stays execution of other convicts also.
*Apr 15: SC directs police to produce 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 reserved verdict on their appeals.
* May 5: SC upholds death penalty to four convicts, says the case falls under the category of ‘rarest of rare’ and the offence created “tsunami of shock”.
