Delhi gangrape: Juvenile accused pleads not guilty to rape, murder

The juvenile accused in Delhi gangrape has pleaded not guilty to rape, murder, unnatural sex and conspiracy.

Gangrape and murder charges were today ordered to be framed by a juvenile justice board against the minor accused of brutally raping along with five adults a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus here on December 16.

Finding prima facie evidence against the 17-year-old juvenile, Principal Magistrate Geetanjali Goel ordered framing of charges under various provisions of the IPC dealing with gangrape, murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences, attempt to murder, dacoity, destruction of evidence and conspiracy.

The Board has now fixed the case on March 6 for recording of evidence. The charges of robbery, wrongful confinement and destruction of evidence have also been framed against the juvenile in another case of robbing a vegetable seller prior who had boarded the bus on the fateful night before the gangrape victim and her friend allegedly became the prey of the minor and his five adult co-accused.

The juvenile faces charges under the same 13 sections of the Indian Penal Code that were slapped on the other five accused whose trial is being held in a fast track court at Saket.

A 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist was brutally gang-raped on a moving bus 16 December, 2012. She died in a Singapore hospital on 29 December, 2012.

The five accused, other than the juvenile, are: bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, fruit seller Pawan Gupta, gym instructor Vinay Sharma, and bus cleaner Akshay Thakur.

The charges were framed against the five on 2 February in the fast track court. They are currently in judicial custody.

Agencies