Tihar Jail executes death warrant, Four Nirbhaya convicts hanged till death at 5:30 am [Full TimeLine from 2012-2020]

More than seven years (2,651 days to be precise) after the 23-year old physiotherapy intern, Nirbhaya, was raped, four convicts i.e. Akshay, Pawan, Mukesh and Vinay were today hanged in Tihar Jail at 5:30 am.

The execution took place after last-minute petitions to stall the hanging were dismissed by the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court.

Speaking to the media, shortly after the execution, Nirbhaya's mother said,

"Today we got justice, this day is dedicated to the daughters of the country. I thank the judiciary & government."

For the first time in independent India's history, four convicts were hanged simultaneously in Tihar Jail.

Here's a quick look at the legal developments in the case.

2012

December 16: 23-year old Nirbhaya is gang-raped by six men, namely, Ram Singh, Mukesh, Pawan, Vinay, Akshay and a juvenile.

December 17: FIR is registered.

December 29: Nirbhaya succumbs to her injuries.

2013

January 3: Chargesheet is filed against five adult accused for murder, gang-rape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences and dacoity.

January 4: Case is committed to Sessions Court.

March 11: Ram Singh commits suicide in Tihar Jail.

August 31: Juvenile Justice Board sentences the juvenile convict to three years imprisonment.

September 10: Session Judge convicts Akshay, Vinay, Mukesh, Pawan under sections 302, 120-B, 365, 366, 376(2)(g), 377, 307, 201, 395, 397, 412 and sentences them to death.

2014

March 13: Delhi High Court Death confirms death penalty.

March 15: Supreme Court stays death sentence after convicts move an appeal.

2017

May 5: Supreme Court upholds death penalty to four convicts.

2018

July 9: Supreme Court dismisses review pleas of three convicts, Mukesh, Vinay and Pawan.

December 13: Nirbhaya's parents seek issuance of death warrant, move Trial Court.

2019

December 10: Akshay moves Supreme Court to review of the order upholding death penalty.

December 18: Supreme Court dismisses Akshay's review petition.

Trial Court directs Tihar Jail authorities to issue notice to convicts to avail their remaining legal remedies.

December 19: Delhi High Court dismisses Pawan's petition claiming that he was a juvenile at the time of the offence.

2020

January 6: Trial Court dismisses complaint discrediting the testimony of the sole eye-witness.

January 7: Trial Court issues the first death warrant for January 22.

January 14: Supreme Court rejects curative petitions by Vinay and Mukesh.

Mukesh files mercy petition before the President .

January 17: President Ram Nath Kovind rejects mercy plea of Mukesh.

Trial Court issues second death warrant for February 1.

January 20: Supreme Court dismisses Pawan's appeal against order rejecting his juvenility claim.

January 25: Mukesh moves Supreme Court against the rejection of his mercy petition.

January 29: Akshay prefers Curative Petition before the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court dismisses Mukesh's challenge to the rejection of his mercy petition.

January 30: Supreme Court dismisses curative petition by Akshay.

January 31: SC dismisses Pawan's review against order rejecting his juvenility claim.

Trial Court defers execution of death warrant sine die in view of the existence of legal remedies.

February 5: Delhi High Court dismisses Centre petition against the Trial Court order staying the death warrant, says there could be no separate hanging in the case.

The Court also grants seven days' time to the convicts to pursue all legal remedies.

February 7: Trial Court refuses to issue fresh date for the execution.

February 11: Supreme Court clarifies there was no bar on the Trial Court from issuing death warrant in spite of the pendency of Centre's appeal against the February 5 High Court order.

February 14: Supreme Court rejects Vinay ’s petition against the rejection of mercy petition.

February 17: Trial court issues third death warrants for March 3.

February 23: Trial Court dismisses Vinay's plea for “high level treatment” on account of his alleged mental illness.

February 28: Pawan prefers curative petition in connection with his conviction before the Supreme Court.

March 2: Pawan’s curative is dismissed.

Trial Court defers execution of death warrant.

March 4: President rejects Pawan's mercy petition.

Tihar seeks new date for execution of death warrant.

March 5: Trial Court issues the fourth death warrant for March 20.

March 16: Convicts write to the International Court of Justice, seeking its interference.

Supreme Court holds that Mukesh's plea alleging conspiracy by amicus Vrinda Grover was not maintainable.

March 17: Trial Court dismisses plea to set aside conviction the ground of concealment of vital documents.

March 18: Delhi High Court dismisses revision petition against the March 17 order by the Trial Court.

Three convicts move an application for stay of the execution of death warrant.

March 19: Trial Court refuses to stay the fourth death warrant.

Supreme Court dismisses Pawan's curative petition with regards his claim of juvenility.

Supreme Court dismisses Akshay's challenge to the rejection of his "second" mercy petition.

Supreme Court dismisses appeal against High Court order dated March 18.

March 20: Delhi High Court refuses to stay the execution.

March 20: In an order passed at around 3:30 AM, the Supreme Court dismissed the plea filed by the convicts in the Nirbhaya case for stay of execution.

Four Convicts, Akshay, Pawan, Mukesh and Vinay were hanged to death at 530 AM at Tihar Jail