THE NIRBHAYA CASE-THEConviction and sentencing

On 10 September 2013, the four adult defendants were found guilty of rape, murder, unnatural offences and destruction of evidence. All four men faced the death penalty, and demonstrators outside the courthouse called for the hanging of the defendants.^[94][98] The victim's father also called for the defendants to be hanged, stating, "We will get complete closure only if all the accused are wiped off from the face of the earth."^[97] Lawyers for three of the four stated that their clients intended to appeal the verdict.^[94] The four men were sentenced on 13 September to death by hanging.^[10] Judge Yogesh Khanna rejected pleas for a lesser sentence saying the case has "shocked the collective conscience of India", and that "courts cannot turn a blind eye to such crimes".^[9][11]The victim's family was present for the sentencing and her mother expressed satisfaction over the verdict saying, "We were waiting with bated breath, now we are relieved. I thank the people of my country and the media."^[99] After the verdict was delivered, the people waiting outside the courtroom applauded.^[99]
On 13 March 2014, the Delhi High Court found all the defendants guilty of rape, murder, unnatural offenses and destruction of evidence. With the verdict, the High Court confirmed death sentence for all four men convicted in September 2013. The court noted that the crime, which stirred widespread protests over sexual crimes against women in the country, fell into the judicial system's "rarest of rare category" that allows capital punishment. The lawyers of the four men said they will appeal to the Supreme Court.