India suspends death sentence of two convicts in Delhi gangrape case

Indian Supreme Court on Monday suspended the death sentence of two convicts in the Delhi gangrape case, local media reported.

The move came after the two convicts, Akshay and Vinay, approached the apex court challenging Delhi High Court's order that gave them death penalty.

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court will hear the arguments of both sides and then it will decide whether it is a rarest of rare case and death penalty should be awarded to the convicts.

Defence lawyer AP Singh said, "The Supreme Court had stayed the death sentence of Akshay and Vinay till the final order. A three- judge bench will hear the case. Death sentence for two accused was stayed earlier and now the Supreme Court has stayed the death sentence of these two accused."

The high court had upheld the death sentence awarded to the four convicts on March 13.

In the horrific gangrape, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student was gangraped by six men inside a private bus in Delhi in December 2012. The girl succumbed to her injuries on Dec. 29, 2012 in a Singapore hospital.

Ram Singh, who was the prime accused, was found dead in his cell in Tihar Jail in March last year and the proceedings against him were abated.

The sixth accused, a juvenile, was on Aug. 31, 2013 convicted and sentenced to a maximum of three years in a reformation home by the juvenile justice board.