Delhi gang-rape case: five accused to appear in court on Monday

A Delhi court has taken cognisance of the
charges against the five men accused of
the murder and rape of a 23-year-old
medical student in the national capital,
whose assault and death united the
country in sorrow, anger and a
determination to press for stronger laws
to protect women.
The court has also issued production
warrants to all the accused - Ram Singh,
Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and
Akshay Thakur - to appear before it on
Monday at 12:30 pm. The next date of
hearing has been fixed on January 10 at
the Saket court.
The sixth accused in the case is 17 years
old, according to a school document, and
has been kept at a juvenile home since he
was arrested. His matter will be taken up
by the Juvenile Justice Board on Monday.
Police sources say this particular accused
committed some of the most barbaric
acts. A close associate of the medical
student's male friend's family has said he
will file a petition seeking that the
juvenile be tried as an adult.
In addition to rape and murder, the police
have charged the five men with
destruction of evidence and criminal
conspiracy. Results of DNA tests
conducted on these five men, aged 19 to
35, allegedly link them to the crime. If
convicted, they could face the death
penalty. (DNA tests establish guilt, says
prosecution)
"We have filed all the evidence," Rajiv
Mohan, public prosecutor, told the court
on Saturday.
"The blood of the victim tallied with the
stains found on the clothes of the
accused," he added, saying that police had
recovered possessions stolen from the
medical student and her friend, who were
thrown out of the vehicle at the end of
their ordeal.
Mr Mohan has asked for a closed trial and
requested that the court protect the
identity and privacy of the woman and
her family.
The evidence presented by the police will
include testimony recorded by the
student while she was critical in hospital,
and the account of her male friend who
was with her on the bus they boarded
after watching The Life of Pi at a South
Delhi mall.
Six men, allegedly drunk, then began
assaulting them with an iron rod before
they gang-raped the student. An hour
later, they threw the couple onto the
road. The police says that the man driving
the bus tried to run the young girl over,
but her friend managed to push her out
of the way. He has reportedly recovered
from his injuries and is helping the
investigation.
The attack wounded and shamed India,
triggering public demand for tough new
rape laws, better police protection for
women and faster trials for cases of
sexual assault. Students have led near-
daily protests in Delhi.
A series of missteps by the government
in its handling of public sorrow and rage
over the student's case deepened the
perception that it is estranged from the
people. A committee of legal experts,
headed by retired Supreme Court judge JS
Verma, is reviewing criminal laws and will
suggest what changes can or should be
made for laws that handle sexual assault
crimes. The team will submit its report
within a month.