When they were awarded the death sentence for the December 2012 gang rape and murder, Akshay Thakur, Mukesh and Pawan Gupta took it stoically, while the fourth convict, Vinay Sharma, cried for mercy.
In fact, Mukesh, had been sporting a smiling face from the moment he along with the others was brought inside the courtroom here till the pronouncement of the punishment on Friday.Earlier, as soon as the four were brought in and made to stand in the rear of the courtroom, Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna came out of his chamber to pronounce the verdict. He took only a few minutes to pass the order as he read out only the murder charge and the death sentence.
The judge then straight away moved to his chamber even as counsel for Akshay and Vinay expressed his displeasure over the quantum of the sentence. Counsel for Mukesh, however, said he respected the court order. He told reporters that his client was given fully opportunity to defend himself.
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During the proceedings, the victim’s parents and brother were sitting just ahead of the convicts. Except the convicts’ counsel and reporters, no one was allowed to sit in the courtroom.