New Delhi: Trial of the five men charged with gang-raping a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus here on Decembr 16 will take another three months to conclude, say advocates.
Dayan Krishnan, the special public prosecutor in the case, told IANS that “in another three months, the trial will be complete”.
The court was to hear the case daily, but after the judge’s father died, the trial has been on hold since Februry 13. It will resume today, Krishnan said. The trial, continuing since February 5 in a fast track court in Saket in south Delhi, is not being reported as Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna has restrained the media from reporting the daily hearings.
V K Anand, the lawyer who represents main accused Ram Singh and his brother Mukesh in the court, also said the trial would continue for another three to four months. “There are so many witnesses that it will certainly take another three to four months to complete the proceedings. Now the court is recording the statements of witnesses, then cross-examinations will begin, followed by final arguments. The procedure probably will be complete in May-end,” Anand told IANS.
A P Singh, who represents three other accused, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur, also said the judgment would come in two-three months’ time. “There are 80 witnesses in the case. The trial will take another two to three months,” Singh told IANS.
The young woman, a physiotherapist trainee, was tortured and gang-raped by five men and a juvenile in a moving bus on December 16. She and her male friend were then thrown on the road — bloodied and without clothes. The woman died in a Singapore hospital 13 days later. Her brutal attack sparked spontaneous protests in the country, forcing the government to take several steps, including setting up the fast track court on December 19 to try the five accused.
The sixth, a minor, will be tried by the Juvenile Justice Board.
The police framed charges against the five on February 2.
IANS
