We've received justice finally, though it came late, say Nirbhaya's parents

New Delhi: The parents of Nirbhaya, whose brutal gang-rape and murder shook the nation's conscience and people rallied behind them for justice, on Friday expressed happiness after the Supreme Court's positive verdict, saying that justice has finally prevailed.

“Many ups and downs have come but I made them my strength. I was confident that justice will be done,” Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi said.

“Sabko thanks kehna chahti hun, sabko insaaf mila hai (want to thank everyone, everybody got justice),” ANI quoted Nirbhaya's mother as saying.

"Justice should be given at the earliest because justice delayed is justice denied. Culprits lose fear of punishment. In order to deal with crime against girls, women, there should be dedicated courts, and trials should be conducted on the line of fast-track courts," she said, addressing a press conference after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence to the convicts.

She said that people`s faith in the justice system will be boosted if criminals are punished in a time-bound manner. "Then, we will be successful in checking crimes like abduction of girls," she said.

Nirbhaya`s mother added that she will continue assisting women victims of sexual assault though the Nirbhaya Jyoti Trust.

"I will try my best to provide all possible help to victims through the trust. Also, everyone, be it organisations, media, will have to work collectively. It is not just my fight but everyone`s fight. Until we fight together, we can not provide safe and secured environment to our children. We have to ensure that crime against women stops," she said. 

“Justice has definitely been done, though it came late, (Der lagi zarur lekin nyaay mila, ab koi gila nahi hai,” said her father Badri Singh.

“It's a victory for my family, I am very happy with the judgement,” he said.

Calling the apex court`s decision "historic", he said the battle was not over yet. "We will have to continue our fight to ensure that this (sexual assault) does not happen to anyone again," he said.

Referring to the court's verdict, Delhi Police spokesperson Deependra Pathak said, “the police's investigation stands vindicated, its an important verdict.”

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the Delhi High Court's order of death sentence against the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and muder case.