The four men convicted of the gang rape and murder of a Delhi woman on December 16, 2012 were hanged in the darkness of pre-dawn on Friday, ending a horrific chapter in India's long history of sexual assault that had seared the nation's soul.Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) were executed at 5.30 am for the savage assault in an empty moving bus on the 23-year-old physiotherapy intern who came to be known the world over as Nirbhaya, the fearless one.
Following is the chronology of events in the Nirbhaya case -the sensational gang rape-and-murder of a 23-year-old girl on December 16, 2012 -in which a Delhi court Tuesday ordered hanging of the four convicts on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar Jail.
Dec 16, 2012: Paramedical student gang raped and brutally assaulted by six men in a private bus and thrown out of the moving vehicle along with her male friend. The victims admitted to Safdarjung Hospital.
Dec 17: Widespread protests erupt demanding stringent action against the accused.
Police identify the accused bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta.
Dec 18: Ram Singh and three others arrested.
Dec 20: Victim's friend testifies.
Dec 21: Delinquent juvenile nabbed from Anand Vihar bus terminal in Delhi. Victim's friend identifies Mukesh as one of the culprits. Police conduct raids in Haryana and Bihar to nab the sixth accused, Akshay Thakur.
Dec 21-22: Thakur arrested in Aurangabad district of Bihar and brought to Delhi. Victim records statement before the SDM in hospital.
Dec 23: Protesters defy prohibitory orders, take to the streets. Delhi Police Constable Subhash Tomar, on duty to control protests, rushed to hospital with serious injuries.
Dec 25: Girl's condition declared critical. Constable Tomar succumbs to injuries.
Dec 26: Following a cardiac arrest, victim flown to Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital by the government.
Dec 29: Victim succumbs to injuries and other medical conditions. Police add murder charge in the FIR.
Jan 2, 2013: Then Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir inaugurates fast track court (FTC) for speedy trial in sexual offence cases.
Jan 3: Police file charge sheet against five adults accused of murder, gang rape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences and dacoity.
Jan 5: Court takes cognisance of the charge sheet.
Jan 7: Court orders in-camera proceedings.
Jan 17: FTC starts proceedings against the five adult accused.
Jan 28: Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) says minority of juvenile accused is proved.
Feb 2: FTC frames charges against five adult accused.
Feb 28: JJB frames charges against the minor.
Mar 11: Ram Singh commits suicide in Tihar Jail.
Mar 22: Delhi HC allows national media to report trial court's proceedings.
Jul 5: Inquiry (trial) in JJB against the juvenile in concludes. JJB reserves verdict for July 11.
Jul 8: FTC completes recording of testimonies of prosecution witnesses.
Jul 11: JJB holds minor also guilty of illegally confining and robbing a carpenter on December 16, night before allegedly taking part in the gang rape.
Delhi High Court allows three international news agencies to cover the trial in the case.
Aug 22: FTC begins hearing final arguments in trial against four adult accused.
Aug 31: JJB convicts the minor for gang rape and murder and awards three-year term at probation home.
Sep 3: FTC concludes trial. Reserves verdict.
Sep 10: Court convicts Mukesh, Vinay, Akshay, Pawan of 13 offences including gang rape, unnatural offence and murder of the girl and attempt to murder her male friend.
Sep 13: Court awards death penalty to all 4 convicts.
Sep 23: HC begins hearing the convicts' death sentence reference sent to it by the trial court.
Jan 3, 2014: HC reserves verdict on convicts' appeals.
Mar 13: HC upholds death penalty to the 4 convicts.
Mar 15: SC stays execution of 2 convicts, Mukesh and Pawan, after they file appeals. Later, stays execution of other convicts also.
Apr 15: SC directs police to produce the dying declaration of the victim.
Feb 3, 2017: SC says it would hear afresh the aspect of awarding death penalty to the convicts.
Mar 27: SC reserves verdict on their appeals.
May 5: SC upholds death penalty to four convicts, says the case falls under the category of 'rarest of rare' and the offence created "tsunami of shock".
Nov 8: Mukesh, one of the four death row convicts in the case, moves SC seeking review of its verdict upholding the capital punishment awarded to him.
Dec 12: Delhi Police opposes Mukesh's plea in SC.
Dec 15: Convicts Vinay Sharma and Pawan Kumar Gupta move SC for review of its verdict.
May 4, 2018: SC reserves order on review plea by two condemned convicts--Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta.
Jul 9: SC dismisses review pleas of three convicts.
Feb, 2019: Victim's parents move Delhi court for issuance of death warrants of the four convicts
Dec 10, 2019: Akshay moves plea in SC seeking review of his death penalty.
Dec 13: Victim's mother moves SC opposing review plea of convict
Dec 18: SC dismisses Akshay's review plea.
Delhi govt seeks death warrants for execution of death sentence to the 4 convicts
Delhi court directs Tihar authorities to issue notice to convicts to avail their remaining legal remedies.
Dec 19: Delhi HC dismisses plea of Pawan Kumar Gupta claiming he was a juvenile at the time of the offence
Jan 6, 2020: Delhi court dismisses complaint filed by Pawan's father seeking FIR against sole witness
Jan 7: Delhi court orders 4 convicts to be hanged on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar jail.
Jan 9, 2020 - Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh had moved the curative petitions in the top court after a Delhi court issued death warrants in their names for their hanging on January 22
Jan 17, 2020 - Nirbhaya case: Tihar jail seeks issuance of fresh death warrants against the four convicts.?
Jan 17, 2020 - 4 Nirbhaya convicts to be hanged on Feb 1, 6 am, says Delhi court?
Jan 18, 2020 - SC to hear on Jan 20 plea of Nirbhaya death row convict against Delhi HC order on his claim of being juvenile.
The first date of execution--January 22--fixed on January 7 was postponed by the court to February 1.?
Jan 31, 2020:?The court indefinitely postponed the hanging.?
Feb 17, 2020:?The court again issued fresh date for execution of death warrants for March 3 at 6 am.
March 2, 2020: The hanging of the four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case scheduled for March 3 was deferred for the third time in six weeks by a court.
March 16, 2020: Nirbhaya convicts and their families have written a letter to the Judges of the International Court of Justice seeking urgent hearing to prevent their "unlawful execution".March 17: The ICJ has no jurisdiction to order a stay on the March 20 hanging of the Nirbhaya case convicts, former Supreme Court Judge BN Srikrishna had said.
March 19, 2020: Repeated attempts made in Supreme Court but to no avail.
March 20, 2020: All four convicts hanged in Delhi's Tihar Jail.