Delhi Gangrape Trial

The trial in the brutal gangrape and murder case of the 23-year-old para medical student began on Tuesday Feb 5,2013 after the Delhi Police filed post-mortem and forensic reports with a supplementary chargesheet.On Tuesday Feb 5,2013, 4 prosecution witnesses will appear and depose before the court. There are a total of 86 witnesses who have to be examined.

 

On Saturday February 2,2013 the fast-track court in Saket had framed charges against the five accused in the case.All the 5 men and the 17-year-old juvenile, who is in an observation home, are charged with raping the physiotherapy intern in the bus and also thrashing her male friend.

Ram Singh, Pawan, Vinay and Mukesh were arrested within two days of the crime.Akshay and the juvenile were caught December 21,2012.

During a court hearing, Vinay, a gym instructor, told the judge he was not involved in the sexual assault but asked that he should be hanged. 

The 5 accused had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges that were read out to them. If convicted, they could face the death penalty. The 5 accused have been charged under 13 sections of the IPC -
IPC Sec 302 (murder)
IPC Sec 376 (gangrape)
IPC Sec 377 (unnatural offence)
IPC Sec 201 (destruction of evidence)
IPC Sec 307 (attempt to murder)
IPC Sec 365 (kidnapping or abduction)
IPC Sec 396 (dacoity with murder)
IPC Sec 34 (common intention)
IPC Sec 394 (voluntarily causing hurt)
IPC Sec 395 (dacoity) and
IPC Sec 120-B (criminal conspiracy).

The 6th being a minor will be tried under juvenile laws.


Note
The two victims boarded the bus, which was plying illegally, at Munirka in south Delhi on a cold December 16,2012 night .They were also robbed, stripped and thrown out of the bus some 40 minutes later. The victim died on December 29,2012 in Singapore and was laid to rest in Delhi the next day.

Friend Cross-Examined in Court -Feb 6,2013

For the second day in a row, the companion of the medical student who was fatally gang-raped on a bus in Delhi was in court today. Yesterday, he testified as a witness for the prosecution against the five men who have pleaded not guilty to charges including rape and murder.  Today, their lawyers cross-examined the software engineer who uses a wheelchair because of the injuries inflicted on him in the heinous attack.  His cross-examination will continue tomorrow.

 All Four Convicted of Rape and Murder

The Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna held at the fast track court in New Delhi dealing with the Dec16,2012 Gangrape and Murder of 23-year-old Paramedic(physiotherapy student) has convicted all the 4 persons - Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur — guilty of 13 offences including gangrape, unnatural offence, murder, dacoity, conspiracy, kidnapping and destruction of evidence.  

The arguments over the quantum of sentence will be heard by the court on Wednesday Sep 11,2013

Note

• The 6th accused was found dead in a cell in Delhi’s Tihar jail.

• A juvenile involved in the crime was on Aug 31 sent by the Juvenile Justice Board to a reform home for three years after it concluded that he was involved in rape and murder. The Juvenile Justice Board on Saturday Aug 31,2013 held the juvenile among them guilty and sent him to a correctional home for three years.He has been found guilty of rape and murder. The Board awarded him the maximum punishment provided in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

 Fastrack Court New Delhi - Trial Timeline

Jan 2, 2013: CJI Altamas Kabir inaugurates fast track court (FTC) for speedy trial in the case.

*Jan 3: Police files charge sheet against five adult accused for offences including murder, gangrape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences and dacoity etc.

*Jan 5: Court takes cognisance of the charge sheet.

*Jan 7: Court orders in-camera proceedings.

*Jan 17: FTC starts proceedings against five adult accused.

*Jan 28: JJB says minority of an accused is proved.

*Feb 2: FTC frames charges against five adult accused.

*Feb 28: JJB frames charges against the minor.

*Mar 11: Ram Singh commits suicide in Tihar jail.

*Mar 22: Delhi HC allows national media to report FTC proceedings.

*Jul 5: Inquiry (trial) in JJB against juvenile in gangrape—cum—murder case and robbery matter concludes. JJB to pronounce verdict on July 11.

*Jul 8: FTC completes recording of testimonies of prosecution witnesses in the case.

*Jul 11: JJB defers to July 25 its verdict in the case against the minor.

JJB holds minor guilty of illegally confining and robbing a carpenter on December 16 night before allegedly taking part in the gangrape.

*Jul 25: JJB again defers to August 5 the verdict in gangrape—cum—murder case after a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking fresh interpretation of term “juvenile“.

*Jul 31: SC asks JJB not to pronounce verdict in the case till it decides the PIL of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

*Aug 5: JJB defers verdict to August 19 pursuant to apex court’s direction.

*Aug 14: SC reserves order on maintainability of Swamy’s PIL.

*Aug 19: JJB again defers verdict to August 31.

*Aug 22: SC allows JJB to pronounce its verdict in the December 16 gangrape—cum—murder case involving the minor.

*Aug 31, 2013: JJB convicts the minor for gangrape and murder and awards three years term at a probation home

*Sep 10:All Four Convicted of Rape and Murder