A special court in the Indian capital on Wednesday began hearing arguments on the sentences to be given to four men found guilty in a December gang-rape case.

Judge Yogesh Khanna on Tuesday convicted all four men of a range of charges including gang rape, murder, unnatural sex and criminal conspiracy.

The men face a minimum punishment of life imprisonment and a maximum of death.

The prosecution called for the death sentence for all four, saying capital punishment was appropriate for the case that showed extreme depravity.

The 23-year-old student was repeatedly raped and beaten in a moving bus on December 16 and died two weeks later due to multiple organ failure brought on by her internal injuries, some of which were inflicted with metal rods.

“There could not have been a more diabolic act,” special prosecutor Dayan Krishnan said in court. “The hapless girl was put through torture.” The victim’s parents have demanded the execution of the perpetrators.

The defence was to present its arguments later on Wednesday after which the judge could pronounce the sentence or defer it to Thursday, lawyers said.

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