Jyoti Singh, 23, was fatally gang-raped while riding a bus through Delhi in 2012
Six men including the driver were arrested and charged with rape and murder
One hanged himself awaiting trial, while a juvenile was sentenced to three years
Remaining four men - Akshay Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh - were sentenced to death, with date of execution now set for January 22
Four men found guilty of fatally gang-raping a female student on a bus in Delhi in 2012 have had a date set for their execution.
Akshay Kumar Singh, 31, Pawan Gupta, 25, Vinay Sharma, 26, and Mukesh Singh, 32, are due to be hanged on January 22 at 7am in the city's Tihar jail, a court has ruled.
It comes after the country's Supreme Court rejected appeals by all four men against the initial death sentence, with the final verdict coming in December last year.
The men still have one more chance to appeal against the so-called 'black warrant' death notice, and their lawyer has said he will file a mercy plea with the country's Supreme Court.
Pawan Gupta (left), Vinay Sharma (second left), Mukesh Singh (second right) and Akshay Singh (right) have been sentenced to die on January 22 for the fatal gang-rape of a student in 2012
Asha Devi (centre), the mother of 23-year-old victim Jyoti Singh, welcomed the verdict saying that 'justice has been restored'
The case sparked protests across India, garnered international media attention, and prompted lawmakers to toughen penalties for sex crimes
The plea is not expected to be granted. If the execution goes ahead, it will be India's first use of capital punishment since 2015.
Asha Devi, mother of 23-year-old victim Jyoti Singh, said: 'This judgement will reinforce people's faith in the judiciary. My daughter will get justice.'
In court, there was a moment of drama as Mukesh's mother went to Asha and begged for her son's life to be saved.
'Please forgive my son. I am begging you for his life, she said, according to
NDTV'I had a daughter too. What happened with her? How can I forget,' she replied.
Jyoti was riding on a bus through Delhi on December 16, 2012, when she and a male friend were attacked by six men including the bus driver.
Awindra Pratap Pandey described being beaten unconscious with a metal bar, before the men took it in turns to rape and torture Jyoti - who was nicknamed Nirbhaya or 'fearless' by Indian media.
The metal bar was used to inflict catastrophic internal injuries on the physiotherapy student, who was dumped naked by the side of the road.
Awindra survived with minor injuries, but Jyoti had to be flown to Singapore for specialist treatment.
Women take part in a protest following the death of a rape victim in New Deli in December last year. Such cases have received heightened attention since Jyoti was killed
Jyoti was nicknamed Nirbhaya or 'fearless' by Indian media and has sparked nationwide protest movements demanding more protection for women from sex attacks
She died two weeks later, on December 29.
The case caught international attention, sparked weeks of national protests, prompted a change in laws around sex crimes, and harsher penalties for attackers.
Five men and one juvenile were initially arrested for the attack, and fast-tracked through the Indian court system where sex crime trials often take years to play out.
One of the men, Ram Singh, died in custody in 2013 with an autopsy ruling he hanged himself, though his family argue he was killed.
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The juvenile was convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to the harshest possible punishment - imprisonment for three years in a reform institution.
The remaining four men were convicted of rape and murder in September 2013 and sentenced to death.
All four men subsequently launched legal appeals, fighting all the way to the Supreme Court.
The last appeal to be heard was from Akshay, who argued that since pollution in Delhi was so bad he couldn't be expected to live long and hanging was unnecessary.
Father says death sentence brings 'justice' for gang rape victim
A demonstrator wearing a blindfold takes part in a protest in solidarity with rape victims and to oppose violence against women in India in New Delhi on December 7
The court rejected his petition, saying he had provided no evidence that was not already considered by the lower courts.
In their ruling, the judges lambasted his legal team for seeking a 're-hearing of appeal over and over again.'
Preparations for the execution have already begun at Delhi's Tihar jail, with a mock hanging already carried out to test that the gallows still work.
A hangman is being brought to the city from Meerut, some 40 miles away, along with ropes from Buxar, some 450 miles distant.
Officials told NDTV that preparations began last month, after the final appeal failed and in preparation for Tuesday's black warrant being issued.
The men are currently being kept in separate cells and are being monitored around the clock by CCTV to prevent them from killing themselvesrestored'
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