India gang-rape trial to begin in fast-track court
Source: Agencies |
January 22, 2013, Tuesday
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THE trial of five men accused of the rape and murder of a student aboard a bus in New Delhi will begin on Thursday and should have none of the long delays commonly associated with India's justice system, a defense lawyer said after a brief hearing yesterday.
Judge Yogesh Khanna denied a defense motion to make the proceedings public, ruling that the courtroom must remain closed because of the sensitive nature of the crime, said V.K. Anand, the lawyer for one of the defendants, Ram Singh.
The extreme brutality of the attack has sparked weeks of protests and focused national and international attention on India's rarely discussed crisis of violence against women. Yesterday's hearing was the first since the case was moved to a new fast-track court set up to deal specifically with crimes against women.
The five defendants' faces were covered by woolen scarves as they arrived in the court, surrounded by a phalanx of police. A sixth suspect in the attack claims to be a juvenile and his case is being handled separately.
The judge told the lawyers to prepare for opening statements to begin on Thursday and agreed to a defense motion to hold the trial every day throughout the week, instead of allowing the gaps of weeks and months between hearings common in other courts, Anand said.
Defense lawyers are also awaiting a decision by the Supreme Court on their motion to move the trial outside New Delhi because of the strong emotions in the city. Police say the victim and a male friend were heading home from an evening movie on December 16 when they boarded a bus, where they were attacked by the six assailants. The attackers beat the man and raped the woman, causing her massive internal injuries with a metal bar, police said.
The victims were eventually dumped on the roadside, and the woman died two weeks later in a Singapore hospital.
Lawyers for the accused say police mistreated their clients and beat them to force them to confess. Another defense lawyer, A.P. Singh, asked the judge to allow a special bone test on one of his clients to ascertain whether he is also a juvenile, the lawyer said. The judge reserved his ruling, he said.
Judge Yogesh Khanna denied a defense motion to make the proceedings public, ruling that the courtroom must remain closed because of the sensitive nature of the crime, said V.K. Anand, the lawyer for one of the defendants, Ram Singh.
The extreme brutality of the attack has sparked weeks of protests and focused national and international attention on India's rarely discussed crisis of violence against women. Yesterday's hearing was the first since the case was moved to a new fast-track court set up to deal specifically with crimes against women.
The five defendants' faces were covered by woolen scarves as they arrived in the court, surrounded by a phalanx of police. A sixth suspect in the attack claims to be a juvenile and his case is being handled separately.
The judge told the lawyers to prepare for opening statements to begin on Thursday and agreed to a defense motion to hold the trial every day throughout the week, instead of allowing the gaps of weeks and months between hearings common in other courts, Anand said.
Defense lawyers are also awaiting a decision by the Supreme Court on their motion to move the trial outside New Delhi because of the strong emotions in the city. Police say the victim and a male friend were heading home from an evening movie on December 16 when they boarded a bus, where they were attacked by the six assailants. The attackers beat the man and raped the woman, causing her massive internal injuries with a metal bar, police said.
The victims were eventually dumped on the roadside, and the woman died two weeks later in a Singapore hospital.
Lawyers for the accused say police mistreated their clients and beat them to force them to confess. Another defense lawyer, A.P. Singh, asked the judge to allow a special bone test on one of his clients to ascertain whether he is also a juvenile, the lawyer said. The judge reserved his ruling, he said.
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