New Delhi:
A special fast-track court handling the trial of five men accused of raping and murdering a medical student in Delhi last month will start hearing arguments to frame charges in the case today. The five accused have been produced in the court.
The court has decided that the trial will be held in-camera or behind closed doors to ensure safety to the accused and also keeping in mind the sensitive nature of the case. The trial technically begins only after the court frames charges against the accused.
It will also take up an application filed by the lawyer of one of the accused, Vinay, who claims to be a juvenile. As per police records, Vinay - a gym instructor - is an adult and is 20 years old. The court will decide on whether a bone marrow test needs to be conducted on him to determine his age.
The special fast-track court was commissioned a few weeks ago to handle this case and others involving crimes against women. If convicted, the five men could face the death penalty.
In mid-December, they allegedly took a school bus out for a spin, pretending to be a charter bus that ferries passengers in Delhi, and attacked 23-year-old Amanat (NOT her real name) and her male friend with an iron rod after the couple bought tickets. They then allegedly took turns raping Amanat before throwing her with her friend onto the road. They wanted to run her over, the police has claimed, but her friend pushed her out of the way.
A sixth suspect in the crime which pierced India's conscience and provoked weeks of protests claims he is 17 and is being tried in the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), where the maximum sentence he faces is three years at a reform facility. The board is expected to given an order today on whether the juvenile accused can be prosecuted along with the other five accused.
The pre-trial proceedings were handled by a city court that ruled the proceedings would be off-limits to the media and to anyone, partly because the prosecutors emphasised that the men arrested for the crime could be attacked while being brought to court.
But defence lawyers want the court to be opened to the public. They have also asked the Supreme Court to move the trial out of Delhi, where they say their clients cannot get a fair trial because the government and the judiciary are feeling the weight of tremendous public pressure.
The Supreme Court will take up the plea on Tuesday.
The court has decided that the trial will be held in-camera or behind closed doors to ensure safety to the accused and also keeping in mind the sensitive nature of the case. The trial technically begins only after the court frames charges against the accused.
It will also take up an application filed by the lawyer of one of the accused, Vinay, who claims to be a juvenile. As per police records, Vinay - a gym instructor - is an adult and is 20 years old. The court will decide on whether a bone marrow test needs to be conducted on him to determine his age.
The special fast-track court was commissioned a few weeks ago to handle this case and others involving crimes against women. If convicted, the five men could face the death penalty.
In mid-December, they allegedly took a school bus out for a spin, pretending to be a charter bus that ferries passengers in Delhi, and attacked 23-year-old Amanat (NOT her real name) and her male friend with an iron rod after the couple bought tickets. They then allegedly took turns raping Amanat before throwing her with her friend onto the road. They wanted to run her over, the police has claimed, but her friend pushed her out of the way.
A sixth suspect in the crime which pierced India's conscience and provoked weeks of protests claims he is 17 and is being tried in the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), where the maximum sentence he faces is three years at a reform facility. The board is expected to given an order today on whether the juvenile accused can be prosecuted along with the other five accused.
The pre-trial proceedings were handled by a city court that ruled the proceedings would be off-limits to the media and to anyone, partly because the prosecutors emphasised that the men arrested for the crime could be attacked while being brought to court.
But defence lawyers want the court to be opened to the public. They have also asked the Supreme Court to move the trial out of Delhi, where they say their clients cannot get a fair trial because the government and the judiciary are feeling the weight of tremendous public pressure.
The Supreme Court will take up the plea on Tuesday.
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