The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Central Government, asking it give its response to a public interest litigation filed by the father of the 23-year-old woman student who was gangraped in a running bus in outer Delhi on December 16, 2012.
The father of the deceased woman has demanded that one of the accused who was declared a juvenile and sent to a remand home for two years for rehabilitation, be treated and punished as an adult. Since the lower courts had not responded to the demand suitably, the father approached the apex court for intervention in the matter.
Last month, the Supreme Court had asked the Delhi High Court not to rush through the December 16 gangrape case and directed the prosecution to supply the copies of judgement and other trial records in Hindi to the convicts.
“Why is the high court rushing through the appeal even without (their) numbering. We have to follow the procedure.” a bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam said while asking the prosecution to make available the Hindi translation of the trial court documents to two death row convicts — Mukesh Singh and Pawan Kumar Gupta.
The apex court which was hearing the appeal filed by the duo through their lawyer M L Sharma against the High Court order rejecting their plea, said “Is it not the duty of the high court to satisfy that the appeal is in order before taking it up for hearing.”
“Can state deny these basic things to the accused? They are asking the copy of the judgement, final order and evidence which are in English to be translated in Hindi,” observed the bench, also comprising justices Ranjan Gogoi and Shiva Kirti Singh.
“Why don”t you translate and give (it to them). They are facing death sentence,” the bench told Additional Solicitor General Siddharth Luthra.
“The high court should not show this kind of anxiety in hearing appeal. Whether high court is deciding all death sentence cases expeditiously,” the bench said.
The bench said: “The accused must have the satisfaction that they were given full opportunity.
The ASG submitted that appeals by the convicts are sketchy and defective and being heard along with the death reference. (ANI)