Delhi gangrape: Verdict may finally be delivered by mid-Sept

As the Delhi gangrape trial moves closer to a verdict, a second incident with eerie similarities has hit national headlines raising questions about what, if any, lessons have been learnt. The Delhi gangrape trial began amid intense public and media scrutiny in February, one-and-a-half months after the gruesome crime was committed. Now seven months after trial begun in a fast-track court, a verdict may finally be close at hand. The brutal gangrape and murder of a 23-year-old student and the attack on her friend in a moving bus in December had led to widespread public protests in the Capital against the continuing failure of the police to check crimes against women. [caption id=“attachment_1061285” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of a police van with Delhi gangrape accused in the initial phase of the trail. AFP[/caption] The prosecution concluded its arguments in the case today. The defence, which will commence its final arguments tomorrow, is likely to conclude its arguments by first week September, raising expectations of a verdict by mid-September. The eyewitness statement of the victim’s friend and the victim’s dying declaration combined with forensic evidence, which includes DNA samples lifted from the crime scene, the iron rod used to attack the victims and clothes of the accused, the prosecution has argued, represents a water-tight case against the four accused. According to the prosecution this is the first time in a rape case that dental records to match the bite marks on the victim with that of the accused have been submitted as evidence. As per the prosecution’s case, the identity of the bus in which the crime was committed has been conclusively proved by CCTV footage and DNA samples lifted from the bus. The special public prosecutor today also argued that the Defence’s case that three of the accused were not present in the bus when the crime was committed had been shown to be false on account of inconsistency in the facts related by defence witnesses and the absence of credible alibis. In all 85 prosecution witnesses and 17 defence witnesses have been examined. Since trial began in February, there have been 121 days of effective hearing, with 15 days lost in adjournments and 11 days on which the judge was on leave(due to the death of his parents). Accused Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh are on trial for the gangrape and murder of the student and attack on her friend. One of the accused, Ram Singh, died during trial - he was found hanging in his cell in Tihar Central Jail on 11 March. The sixth accused, a juvenile, was tried before the juvenile justice board, which is expected deliver its verdict on August 31.