Nirbhaya Case Update - Parents made a party to the case in Supreme Court

July 11, 2016

In a significant relief for Nirbhaya's parents, the special three judge bench of Supreme Court headed by Justice Dipak Misra allowed the plea for impleadment of Nirbhaya's mother and father to be a party to the proceedings in the Special Leave Petition filed by the accused persons, pending and currently being heard in the Supreme Court.

Arguing on behalf of the parents, their lawyers Advocate Arjun Vinod Bobde and Advocate Jaspreet Singh Rai told the bench that they also wanted to be heard on certain aspects. The parents' lawyers will now be a part of the entire case proceedings in the SC and will be putting forward their arguments.

Nirbhaya's parents Asha Devi and Badrinath Singh were visibly relieved at the decision of the apex court. They are now gearing up to be an instrumental part of the ongoing proceedings, supported by LawRato for their legal representation in the SC. “ We were confident of getting the impleadment application results in our favour, considering the sensitivity and seriousness of this matter. We are now all prepared to fight tooth and nail to ensure the culprits are awarded exemplary punishment by the apex court as it will act as a huge deterrent and send out a message to people who feel they can get away even after committing such heinous crimes. We are further stating that as when required the services of a designated senior counsel may be engaged for this matter” said a LawRato spokesperson.

In addition to this, in a special detour from its customary practice, the bench has also confirmed that it will extend its working hours from 4pm until 6pm on the days when Nirbhaya's case is listed. The hearing will be held every Monday and Friday from July 18, and the court will be in session till 6pm.

The incident which sparked an unprecedented response from the nation and prompted major changes in law took place in a private bus, which the victim had boarded along with a male friend on the night of December 16, 2012. The accused had brutally gang-raped the physiotherapy student, beat up her friend and then dumped them off the moving bus. The victim died 13 days later at a hospital in Singapore.

OUR TAKE

After the case being in cold storage for 2 years, the Supreme Court has finally accelerated the pace of hearing of the appeals. The Court has also sought to do away with the time constraint, by extending its working hours particularly for this case. This move shall ensure complete and fair hearing to both the parties. Allowing parents to be the party to the case, will give them a chance to be a part of the proceedings and put their point of view.