Massive protests were organised across the nation after the brutal assault on a physiotherapy student in Delhi on December 16, 2012
New Delhi:
A convict who was 17 when he participated in the heinous and fatal gang-rape of a young woman on a Delhi bus cannot be tried by a regular court, said Supreme Court judges today, rejecting the request of the victim's parents.
Six men were found guilty of the gang-rape that shocked India and ignited huge street protests and a national debate on the lack of safety for women.
The teen was tried by a special juvenile court last year and given the maximum sentence of three years in a reform home. The parents of the woman who died said that punishment was not severe enough, and asked for him to be tried by a regular court, where the death sentence could apply if he were to be found guilty.
In December 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern boarded a bus with her male companion. Six men then assaulted him and took turns raping her before flinging the barely conscious couple onto a road. Her injuries were so severe that she died nearly a fortnight later in a Singapore hospital.
The public fury over her death impelled the introduction of new laws to punish sexual crimes against women.
Six men were arrested for the gang-rape, including the minor. Of the others, Ram Singh, the alleged ring-leader, was found dead in his prison cell in March last year during his trial by a special fast-track court in Delhi. The other four adult convicts have been sentenced to death.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had asked the Supreme Court to consider redefining the legal definition of a juvenile. He said that when deciding the culpability of a juvenile, the "mental and intellectual maturity" of the accused should be taken into account, rather than the age limit of 18.
Six men were found guilty of the gang-rape that shocked India and ignited huge street protests and a national debate on the lack of safety for women.
The teen was tried by a special juvenile court last year and given the maximum sentence of three years in a reform home. The parents of the woman who died said that punishment was not severe enough, and asked for him to be tried by a regular court, where the death sentence could apply if he were to be found guilty.
In December 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern boarded a bus with her male companion. Six men then assaulted him and took turns raping her before flinging the barely conscious couple onto a road. Her injuries were so severe that she died nearly a fortnight later in a Singapore hospital.
The public fury over her death impelled the introduction of new laws to punish sexual crimes against women.
Six men were arrested for the gang-rape, including the minor. Of the others, Ram Singh, the alleged ring-leader, was found dead in his prison cell in March last year during his trial by a special fast-track court in Delhi. The other four adult convicts have been sentenced to death.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had asked the Supreme Court to consider redefining the legal definition of a juvenile. He said that when deciding the culpability of a juvenile, the "mental and intellectual maturity" of the accused should be taken into account, rather than the age limit of 18.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
