Nirbhaya verdict will act as deterrent: Kejriwal

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia here on Tuesday welcomed the Nirbhaya verdict, saying it would act as a deterrent to such heinous crimes.

Kejriwal said the verdict would be a lesson for all those who mistreat women. “People will be scared that, even though little late, the law will give them punishment and justice will be served,” Kejriwal said while addressing a townhall meeting.

Calling it a victory, he said it fulfilled a big wish of the people. “All were waiting eagerly for the verdict,” he said.

Later, in a tweet, Kejriwal demanded that death penalty to rapists should be given within six months.

“The death warrants had been issued against the Nirbhaya case culprits. People are satisfied. It took seven years. This system has to change. There should be a system that the rapists should be hanged in six months,” Kejriwal said in Hindi.

निर्भया रेप के दोषियों के खिलाफ डेथ वारंट जारी होने पर लोगों को कुछ संतोष हुआ। 7 साल लग गए। इस व्यवस्था को बदलना होगा। ऐसी व्यवस्था लागू करनी होगी कि बलात्कारियों को 6 महीनों में फाँसी होनी चाहिए।

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 7, 2020

Speaking to the media at the party office, Sisodia said people were looking at this case as a standard. “The incident had shaken the nation. People were saying if the convicts were not hanged in this case, what would happen in the rest (such cases),” he said.

He also said the efforts of Nirbhaya’s parents and their lawyers had paid off.

A Delhi Court on Tuesday issued death warrants against all the four convicts. Issuing the death warrants, Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora directed that the convicts be hanged at 7 a.m on January 22.

The 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and tortured on December 16, 2012, which led to her death.

All the six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused, a minor, appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another committed suicide in Tihar Jail.

Updated on: Jan 7, 2020 at 21:17 IST

IANS