Justice Yogesh Khanna
Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yogesh Khanna, renowned for sentencing the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape case to death in 2013 during his tenure as a judicial officer, retired on Saturday after serving seven years.
Justice Khanna was appointed as a permanent high court judge on November 8, 2016. Notably, while serving as an additional sessions judge, he delivered the death penalty to the four convicts on September 13, 2013, citing the heinous and “beastly” manner in which the 23-year-old woman was assaulted and murdered. He emphasized that the appalling nature of the crime had deeply shaken the nation’s collective conscience, warranting an exemplary punishment.
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The execution of the death penalty took place on March 20, 2020, marking the conclusion of this high-profile case that sparked nationwide outrage.
The incident, which occurred on December 16, 2012, involved the gang rape of a paramedical student on a moving bus in South Delhi. The severity of her injuries led to her unfortunate demise on December 29, 2012, in a hospital in Singapore.
Throughout his tenure in the high court, Justice Khanna delivered numerous significant judgments. In 2018, as part of a division bench led by former high court judge Justice S Ravindra Bhat, Justice Khanna dismissed a plea by US-based agro-industries giant Monsanto Technology seeking to enforce the patent for its BT cotton seeds in India.
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Born on December 31, 1961, Justice Khanna obtained his LL.B. from Campus Law Centre, Delhi, in 1986. He began his journey in the Delhi Higher Judicial Services in 2000 and eventually rose to become the District Judge of North-West District, Rohini Courts, Delhi, before his elevation to the high court.
