An Indian court has set an execution date for four men convicted of the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a student in the capital, Delhi.
Their 23-year-old victim died from her injuries 13 days after she was raped and assaulted on a moving bus.
Lawyers for the men, who are due to be hanged on 22 January, plan to launch last-ditch legal challenges.
The men cannot be executed until the Supreme Court rejects their final challenge, and the Indian president also rejects their mercy petitions. They are yet to file either.
At Tuesday’s hearing, the public prosecutor urged the court to go ahead and issue a death warrant – he argued that not filing the appeals was a delaying tactic.
The victim’s mother – who has previously questioned why the process has taken so long – welcomed the news on Tuesday.
“I am very happy that the court has issued death warrants for all the four convicts today,” she told the BBC. “We have fought the legal battle with a lot of patience for the last more than seven years.
“I finally get justice.”
The incident – which happened on the night of 16 December 2012 – sparked massive protests, global outrage and led to India passing new anti-rape laws.
The victim was dubbed Nirbhaya – the fearless one – by the press, as she could not be named under Indian law.
-BBC