Chargesheet filed; the accused thought victim was dead when they dumped her

Moving swiftly against the men who tortured and gangraped a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in south Delhi last month, the police Thursday filed a chargesheet against five of the six arrested in the case. The woman died in a Singapore hospital on December 29. Charges against the accused include rape, murder, criminal conspiracy and common intention.

The name of the sixth accused, said to be juvenile, was not mentioned in the court of duty magistrate Surya Malik Grover at the time of filing the chargesheet — police had earlier said charges would be pressed in the fast track court against the sixth accused if an ossification test established he was not juvenile.

Police sources said among the documents attached with the chargesheet is the interrogation report of accused Ram Singh, in which he has described the victim's injuries in detail. The sources said Ram Singh claimed that when they threw the woman out of the bus, they thought she was dead. They learnt about her condition the next morning when they heard the news on TV and decided to split up.

The chargesheet, filed in the evening after regular court hours, will be taken up for consideration on January 5 by the court of the magistrate under whose jurisdiction the case lies. The trial will then be conducted in a fast track court. Additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna has been nominated by Delhi High Court to preside over the fast track court at Saket.

Cases of sexual offences against women will now be heard in these fast track courts. Six judges have been asked to preside: ASJ Kaveri Baweja at Tis Hazari for central and north districts, ASJ Nivedita Anil Sharma at Tis Hazari for west district, ASJ Yogesh Khanna at Saket for south and south-east districts, ASJ Virender Bhat at Dwarka for south-west distrct, ASJ T R Naval at Karkardooma for east and north-east districts, and ASJ M C Gupta at Rohini for north-west and outer districts.

... contd.

ALSO READ

CBI chief says report on coal block 'clean and clear'

Pak High Commissioner to visit Sanaullah today

Janampatri to genomepatri, the leap forward in predicting future

Despite fast-track courts, rape conviction rate still low