Delhi Gangrape trial begins; 5 accused face death penalty

New Delhi, Feb 5: The most closely followed case of recent times, the trial of brutal Delhi gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman inside a moving bus will start on Tuesday, Feb 5.

A gang of six men brutally raped and assaulted the paramedical student inside a moving bus, before throwing her out to die on the streets of national capital. The woman was accompanied by her male friend, who also sustained severe injuries. The incident took place on Dec 16, 2012. The woman succumbed to her injuries in a Singapore hospital on Dec 29, 2012.

The crime shocked the entire nation, and they came out in the open to demand death penalty for the rapists.

The five accused in the case are Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Vinay, Pawan and Akshay. They have been booked under 13 sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including murder, gang-rape, sodomy and kidnapping. The five men have pleaded not guilty to these charges.

The sixth accused has been declared as a juvenile by Juvenile Justice Board, based on his school certificate. The board will handle his case. The 17-year-old juvenile faces a maximum sentence of three years in a reform facility.

All the five adult accused face trial for which maximum sentence is death. Police sources say they will further file supplementary chargesheet next week, that will include the post-mortem report of the victim.

Armed with enough evidence, the prosecution is confident that they will be able to demand maximum punishment for all the accused.

Prosecution has enough evidence, including DNA samples, the victim's blood-stained clothes, mobile phone records and eyewitness testimony against the accused.

The trial will be conducted in a fast-track court.

Sources say the trial will be held before a judge, but no jury, and media will not be allowed inside the courtroom.

OneIndia News