A sessions court in Delhi on January 7 issued death warrants to the four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, paving the way for their death sentence. The execution has been scheduled for 7 am on January 22 at Tihar Jail.

The decision comes seven years after the gruesome rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student in Delhi on the night of December 16, 2012.

Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora, who issued the death warrants, said the convicts can use their legal remedies within 14 days. The four death row convicts are Mukesh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh and Pawan Gupta.

Rajiv Mohan, counsel for Nirbhaya's parents, had earlier told the court today that there are no petitions (curative or mercy) from the convicts pending before the court, adding that it was enough for the judge to issue a death warrant.

However, AP Singh, counsel for the convicts, claimed that they are in the process of filing curative petitions with the Supreme Court and that they should be given more time for the same.

On December 18, Nirbhaya's parents and the Delhi government had approached the Patiala High Court in the capital city for issuing the death warrants, to expedite the process to hang the four convicts.

The move had come after the Supreme Court had dismissed a review petition filed by Akshay Kumar Singh – one of the four convicts in the case – the same day.

The court had given a week's time to the convicts to file their mercy petitions against their executions with the President of India, and adjounrned the hearing for issuing death warrants for January 7.

Nirbhaya's parents have welcomes the court's ruling, with her mother Asha Devi saying, "My daughter has got justice. Execution of the 4 convicts will empower the women of the country," and her father Badrinath Singh saying, "This decision will instill fear in people who commit such crimes."

Delhi Commission of Women also welcomed the decision, with its chairperson Swati Maliwal telling media persons, "Strongly welcome this decision. It is a win for all the 'Nirbhayas' living in this country. I salute Nirbhaya's parents who fought for 7 long years.

"Why has it taken 7 years to punish these people? Why can't this time period be reduced," Maliwal pointed out.