Delhi gangrape: How defence and prosecution argued in the court

New Delhi: 2:05 pm: The order on the sentencing of the Delhi gangrape convicts has been reserved for 2:30 pm on Friday.

1:59 pm: The convicts have completed their defence in court and the prosecution's rebuttal has now begun. Special Public Prosecutor Dayan Krishan has begun his rebuttal.

1:51 pm: VK Anand, the lawyer for convict Mukesh has said in court, "Punish him for what he has done. Don't punish him for what he has not done. He was only driving the bus."

1:33 pm: The lawyers for three convicts - Vinay, Pawan and Akshay have finished arguments. VK Anand, the lawyer for fourth convict Mukesh, has just begun arguments.

1:20 pm: AP Singh, the lawyer for convicts Vinay and Akshay, has invoked Mahatma Gandhi in court saying, "God gives life and he alone can take it and not man-made courts." The lawyer has asked for one last chance for the convicts to reform.

12:18 am: The defence in its argument has said that the crime happened at the spur of the moment and was not pre-meditated.

12 noon: VK Anand, the lawyer for one of the convicts, Mukesh, had filed an application saying Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has committed contempt of court by saying all accused will get death in the case. The court has dismissed the application.

11:53 am: The convicts have also sought leniency on grounds of age. They say court should show mercy considering their young age.

11:49 am: The convicts, meanwhile, have sought leniency saying that as of today life imprisonment is the rule and death penalty is an exception.

11:34 am: The prosecution has made it clear that it wants death sentence for all the four convicts. The prosecution has argued that there is no reason to show the convicts mercy. The prosecution says they have killed a helpless girl when even she prayed for mercy. The prosecution says there should be 'no mercy for merciless convicts'.

11:28 am: Hearing is on in the Saket court and the prosecution has sought death for the four convicts.

11:16 am: The arguments for the quantum of sentence for the four convicts in the Delhi gangrape-murder case have begun. The police have sought maximum punishment for the four. The convicts were brought to court on Wednesday morning amidst tight security.

The fast-track court in Delhi is likely to decide the fate of the four men on Wednesday amidst growing public chorus to give them dealth penalty. "All the convicted should get death sentence. This is the rule under the new law. A strong verdict should send a message to everyone," BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said.

"Delhi Police has done a commendable job in this case. This case comes under the previous laws but under the new laws, such convicts will surely be hanged," Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said.

Demanding death penalty for the convicts, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi said that compassion is for humanity and not for beasts like the four convicts. She termed it as a crime against the society.

On Tuesday, the Delhi court held four men - Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Mukesh Singh and Pawan Gupta - in the gangrape and brutal murder of the Delhi braveheart guilty, in effect upholding the police case that the four, along with now dead Ram Singh and a juvenile, were responsible for the heinous crime. The court also praised the Delhi Police for speedy and scientific investigation.

The verdict clearly states, "It stands proved that the prosecutrix died due to injuries inflicted by the accused while committing various offences on the victims, inside the moving bus. There was a clear intention to cause death. As they were thrown out of the bus definitely shows that it has been done with the intention of certainly resulting in death."

It also said, "The proof of the complete act of rape by each accused is not required. Liability of all accused is equal."

On Wednesday, the court will meet again for arguments on the quantum of punishment. Since all four have been convicted for murder, the debate will be on whether they should get death penalty or life imprisonment. All eyes are now on the quantum where the prosecution and braveheart's family want the maximum punishment while the defence would plead for life sentence.