The four convicts — Akshay Thakur (33), Vinay Sharma (25), Pawan Gupta (24), Mukesh Singh (31) — in the December 16, 2012 gangrape case. The four convicts — Akshay Thakur (33), Vinay Sharma (25), Pawan Gupta (24), Mukesh Singh (31) — in the December 16, 2012 gangrape case.

The Delhi government Sunday rejected the mercy petition of Vinay Sharma, one of the four death row convicts in the December 16, 2012 gangrape case, saying there was no room for any review in light of the “extreme brutality” involved.

On October 29, Tihar Jail authorities had given seven days to the four convicts to file mercy petitions before the President of India, saying they have “exhausted” all other legal remedies. Out of the four, only Sharma filed a petition, which was forwarded to the Delhi government.

According to internal file notings, Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain wrote, “This is the most heinous crime of extreme brutality committed by the appellant. This is the case where exemplary punishment should be given to deter others from committing such atrocious crimes. There is no merit in mercy petition, strongly recommended for rejection.”

The file will now be placed before Lt Governor Anil Baijal and thereafter be sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs and finally the President. Earlier, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Satya Gopal had also turned down the plea, terming the 2012 incident as the “fittest case to reject mercy petition”.

On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old woman was gangraped and assaulted on a moving bus in south Delhi by six persons. She was airlifted to a Singapore hospital, where she passed away on December 29, 2012.

Accused Ram Singh hanged himself in jail while another, a juvenile, was convicted of rape and murder and given the maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment in a reform facility. The rest are lodged in Tihar.

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