Delhi gang-rape trial concludes, verdict on Sept 10

A fast track court will pronounce on September 10 its verdict in the December 16 gang-rape case in which four adult accused were tried for brutal rape and murder of 23-year-old girl in a moving bus in south Delhi.

Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna on Tuesday reserved his order after the prosecution and the defence counsel concluded their final arguments.

The trial proceedings came to an end, two days after the juvenile offender in the case was sentenced to a three-year probation term after being held guilty by the Juvenile Justice Board of gang rape and murder of the paramedic.

Earlier during the day, Special Public Prosecutor Dayan Krishnan, submitted his arguments rebutting the claim of the defence counsel that the victim's dying declaration, the statement of her male friend, the DNA samples and other medical evidence had been fabricated by the probe agency.

Krishnan said the police had placed sufficient material before the court to prove the guilt of each and every accused. He also rebutted the defence claim that the DNA sample could not have been lifted from the bus as the vehicle was washed the morning after the gruesome incident.

The SPP said fingerprints and the blood stains can easily be extracted even if the surface is cleaned several times and "DNA can be extracted even if the surface has been cleaned by bleaching." He submitted the fact that an iron rod was used during the assault on the victim had also been corroborated by the medical evidence and the dying declaration.

V K Anand, counsel for accused Mukesh, made his final arguments on Tuesday and claimed that his mere presence in the bus does not show that he participated in the gang rape, loot and murder of the girl, who died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.

Besides Mukesh, other accused are Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta.

According to the prosecution, Ram Singh, Vinay, Akshay, Pawan and Mukesh had allegedly gang raped the girl in the moving bus after alluring her and a 28-year-old male friend who was also assaulted with the iron rod.

The victim's friend, a software engineer, got a fracture during the scuffle. The girl died while undergoing treatment for her injuries in a Singapore hospital.

During the course of the trial, Ram Singh was found dead in Tihar Jail in Delhi on March 11 and court proceedings against him stand abated.

The court had recorded evidence in the case on behalf of the prosecution and the accused in a total of 117 hearings. The prosecution had examined 85 witnesses to prove its case against the four adult accused. The accused had brought 17 defence witnesses.

Image: Women participate in a protest against the December 16 gang rape in New Delhi

Photograph: Reuters