Four convicts in the December 16 gangrape-cum-murder case have been awarded death penalty by a Delhi court on Friday which said, the gravity of the offence cannot be tolerated.

“Death to all,” said Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna while delivering the verdict.

The case had evoked nationwide outrage and led the government to bring in a stringent anti-rape law.

The Judge said, the offence committed by Mukesh, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma falls under the rarest of rare category warranting capital punishment.

The four were convicted by the court on September 10 for the gangrape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedic student.

The Court said, there should be an exemplary punishment in view of the unparalleled brutality with which the victim was gangraped and murdered. He said, this is a time when crime against women is rising in the society and its Judiciary's responsibility to instill confidence among the women.

Besides murder, the four have been also convicted for offences including gangrape, unnatural offences, attempt to murder, dacoity, destruction of evidence, conspiracy, kidnapping or abducting in order to murder, while acquitting them of the charge of murder in dacoity.

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has welcomed the court verdict .He said the girl's family has got justice.

Minister of State for Home Affairs, RPN Singh has said, justice has been done in the gangrape case.

In a tweet, Singh said, there has to be zero tolerance for such crimes and the message has gone out with the sentence.

BJP has welcomed the judgement in the Delhi gang rape case. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabh Sushma Swaraj tweeted that this will serve as a deterrent for such offences in the country.