A timeline of Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case: How did it unfold

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the death sentence it had handed out to three out of four convicts for the rape and murder of Nirbhaya. Dismissing the plea for the recall of the May 5, 2017, verdict upholding the death sentence, Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice R. Banumathi and Justice Ashok Bhushan said that the petition lacked grounds for a review.

A young professional, Nirbhaya, as she came to be known, was sexually assaulted on a moving bus by five men and a minor-- one of whom committed suicide in prison -- on December 16, 2012. The crime had sparked protests and a debate on the state of women’s safety in the country. Nirbhaya died in a Singapore hospital.

What follows is a chronology of events in the sensational December 16, 2012, gangrape and murder case of a 23-year-old girl, in which the Supreme Court dismissed the review petitions of three death row convicts.

*Dec 16, 2012: Paramedical student gangraped and brutally assaulted by six men in a private bus and thrown out of the moving vehicle along with her male friend. They were admitted to Safdarjung Hospital.

*Dec 17: Widespread protests erupt demanding stringent action against the accused.

*Dec 17: Police identify four accused - bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, besides Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta.

*Dec 18: Ram Singh and three others are arrested.

*Dec 20: Victim's friend testifies.

*Dec 21: Delinquent juvenile nabbed from Anand Vihar bus terminal in Delhi. Victim's friend identifies Mukesh as one of the culprits. Police conduct raids in Haryana and Bihar to nab the sixth accused, Akshay Thakur.

*Dec 21-22: Thakur arrested in Aurangabad district of Bihar and brought to Delhi. Victim records statement before the SDM in hospital.

*Dec 23: Protesters defy prohibitory orders, take to the streets. Delhi Police Constable Subhash Tomar, on duty to control protests, rushed to hospital with serious injuries.

*Dec 25: Girl's condition declared critical. Constable Tomar succumbs to injuries.

*Dec 26: Following a cardiac arrest, victim flown to Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital by the government.

*Dec 29: Victim succumbs to injuries and other medical conditions at 2:15 A.M. Police add murder charge in the FIR.

*Jan 2, 2013: Then Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir inaugurates fast track court (FTC) for speedy trial in sexual offence cases.

*Jan 3: Police file charge sheet against five adult accused for offences including murder, gangrape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences and dacoity etc.

*Jan 5: Court takes cognisance of the charge sheet.

*Jan 7: Court orders in-camera proceedings.

*Jan 17: FTC starts proceedings against the five adult accused.

*Jan 28: Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) says minority of juvenile accused is proved.

*Feb 2: FTC frames charges against five adult accused.

*Feb 28: JJB frames charges against the minor.

*Mar 11: Ram Singh commits suicide in Delhi's Tihar Jail.

*Mar 22: Delhi HC allows national media to report trial court's proceedings.

*Jul 5: Inquiry (trial) in JJB against juvenile in gangrape-cum-murder case and robbery concludes. JJB reserves verdict for July 11.

*Jul 8: FTC completes recording of testimonies of prosecution witnesses.

*Jul 11: JJB holds minor also guilty of illegally confining and robbing a carpenter on December 16, night before allegedly taking part in the gangrape. Delhi High Court allows three international news agencies to cover the trial in the case.

*Aug 22: FTC begins hearing final arguments in trial against four adult accused.

*Aug 31: JJB convicts the minor for gangrape and murder and awards three-year term at probation home.

*Sep 3: FTC concludes trial. Reserves verdict.

*Sep 10: Court convicts Mukesh, Vinay, Akshay, Pawan of 13 offences including gangrape, unnatural offence and murder of the girl and attempt to murder her male friend.

*Sep 13: Court awards death to all four convicts.

*Sep 23: HC begins hearing the convicts' death sentence reference sent to it by the trial court.

*Jan 3, 2014: HC reserves verdict on convicts' appeals.

*Mar 13: HC upholds death penalty awarded to the four convicts.

*Mar 15: SC stays execution of 2 convicts, Mukesh and Pawan, after they filed appeals. Later stays execution of other convicts also.

*Apr 15: SC directs police to produce the dying declaration of the victim.

* Feb 3, 2017: SC says it would hear afresh the aspect of awarding death penalty to the convicts.

* Mar 27: SC reserves verdict on their appeals.

* May 5: SC upholds death penalty to four convicts, says the case falls under the category of 'rarest of rare' and the offence created "tsunami of shock".

* Nov 8: Mukesh, one of the four death row convicts in the case, moves SC seeking review of its verdict upholding the capital punishment awarded to him.

* Dec 12: Delhi Police opposes Mukesh's plea in SC.

* Dec 15: Convicts Vinay Sharma and Pawan Kumar Gupta move SC for review of its verdict.

* May 4, 2018: SC reserves order on review plea by two condemned convicts--Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta.

* Jul 9, 2018: SC dismisses review pleas of three convicts.

(WIth agency inputs)