2012 Delhi gangrape: Supreme Court rejects review petition of Akshay Kumar Singh

Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the review petition filed by Akshay Kumar Singh, one of the death-row convicts, in the 2012 Nirbhaya rape and murder case.

Earlier during proceedings, Senior advocate AP Singh, representing Akshay, told a newly-constituted bench headed by Justice R Banumathi that his client has been "falsely implicated" in the case and argued against the death penalty awarded to him.

"Death penalty is a primitive method of punishment. Execution kills the criminal not the crime. Use of the death penalty did not seem to have a deterrent effect on criminals and convicts," Singh contended.

The counsel said that the victim died of septicaemia and drug overdose and wrong reports were made to falsely implicate his client.

"The dying declaration was doubtful. This was tutored. This was not voluntary. She has not named Akshay as the accused who had committed the offence," he added.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi state, said that no mercy should be granted. "There are crimes where humanity is put to shame...crimes when God cries...there should be no mercy," he said. 

Akshay has moved the top court seeking review of its 2017 verdict which upheld the death penalty awarded to him and three others in the case.