The family of Delhi gangrape victim said President Pranab Mukherjee should use his powers to ensure that the minor accused in the case gets the death sentence along with other accused for the heinous crime.

The brother of the 23-year-old victim told PTI on phone from Delhi that he had wanted to convey this request of the family to the president at the function in the national capital yesterday where his sister was honoured with Rani Laxmi Bai Stree Shakti award, but failed to do so.

"The president has unparallelled powers and he can use them to ensure justice to my sister by seeing that the minor accused is hanged along with the other accused for the crime," the brother of the girl said.

"The minor accused is not entitled to any leniency by taking refuge in laws concerning the age factor," he said, adding, this case should be taken as an exception to send a strong message to law breakers.

The brother also criticised BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi and social activist and actor Rahul Bose for their comments on the case.

"The statement by Joshi that western thinking is responsible for the rising cases of rape is nothing but rubbish," he said.

The brother termed as "unfortunate" Bose's calling for a chance to the rape accused to reform themselves.

The paramedical student was brutally raped and assaulted by six persons in a moving bus in New Delhi on December 16 last year and she succumbed to injuries in a Singapore hospital on December 29.