“It’s a barbaric crime and it has shaken the society’s conscience,” Justice R Banumathi told a packed courtroom as the three-judge Supreme Court panel threw out an appeal on behalf of the defendants.
The five men and a juvenile lured the 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist and her male friend onto a minibus in New Delhi on Dec 16, 2012, repeatedly raping the woman and beating both with a metal bar before dumping them on a road.
The woman died of grave internal injuries two weeks later in a Singapore hospital.
Applause broke out in court among relatives of the victim – whose identity is protected by law – as judges explained that the crime met the “rarest of the rare” standard to justify capital punishment in India.
“I am very satisfied. Today I am happy,” the victim’s mother said.
Her father said: “It’s not just a victory for my family, it’s a victory for each and every woman in our country.”