She, however, questioned the "flawed" judicial process which did not give similar punishment to those guilty in the "equally heinous" Bilkis Bano gangrape case.
"As far as the SC verdict is concerned, the CPI(M) has been demanding maximum penalty for those guilty in the Nirbhaya case. The SC has upheld the Delhi HC verdict.
"However, our principled opposition to death penalty remains," Karat said.
The CPI(M) politburo member, however, noted that the Bombay High Court, which heard the Bano case yesterday, did not find the crime "heinous enough" to award maximum penalty to the convicts.
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It said the crime had sent a "tsunami of shock" all over and was a 'rarest of rare' case in which the most brutal, barbaric and diabolical attack was carried out on the 23- year-old woman.
The Bombay HC had yesterday upheld the conviction and life sentence to 12 people in the Bano gangrape case and set aside acquittal of seven others including policemen and doctors.
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