Delhi rape trial Live: Verdict on minor reserved to 25 July

12:45 pm: Verdict in one case arrives, not disclosed

The legal aid lawyer handling the case of the 17-year-old has said that the Juvenile Justice Board has given an order in another case in which the teenager was accused of robbing a carpenter aboard the bus.

However, the order has been given in a sealed envelope and its contents are not presently known, he told reporters.

The Juvenile Justice Board has also directed that the media should not speculate on the nature of the verdict or write about it, he said.

The order on the other case has been deferred to 25 July.

12.38 pm: Verdict reserved till 25 July

The verdict on the Juvenile accused has been reserved till 25 July. The parents of the victim who had arrived at the court in hopes of hearing a verdict had said that they were disappointed, but expressed hope of receiving some justice at least on 25 July.

12.25 pm: Hearing begins

The hearing has finally begun in the Delhi gangrape case at the Juvenile Justice Board. Remember the arguments had concluded on 5 July and the verdict was deferred until today. Five months after the Juvenile Justice Board began its inquiry into the juvenile’s role in the crime, it will now deliver its verdict on whether he is guilty as charged or whether he is innocent.

12.05 pm: Will not allow juvenile accused home, says mother

While the juvenile accused in the 16 December, 2012 gangrape of a 23-year-old student may get only a lenient sentence if he is found guilty, his family and fellow villagers are in no mood to forgive him or have any contact with him.

His mother says that she will not him to enter the house.

Legal experts say that if convicted, the juvenile can only be sent to an observation home for a maximum of three years. On the other hand his mother says she is not sure whether he is minor or not, but in any case she will not allow him inside her home even after he is released. She adds that her son should be given appropriate punishment if found guilty.

Even the accused minor’s fellow villagers have no sympathy for him. They say that he should get severe punishment like other accused of the gangrape case. The village head say that even if he is shown leniency due to his juvenile status, the villagers will not him to stay in the village.

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11. 15 am: Parents of Delhi gangrape victim arrive at juvenile court

The parents of the 23-year old gangrape victim have reached the juvenile justice board premises. The father of the victim, speaking to media, demanded death sentence for the accused.

11. 20 am: What are the charges against the juvenile?

The juvenile accused has been charged with 12 different sections of the IPC including murder, gang-rape, kidnapping, dacoity, unnatural sex, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence.

If convicted, the juvenile faces a maximum sentence of three years in a remand home.

11. 00 am: Heavy media presence outside Board premises

Over 30 television cameras have been stationed in the narrow lane outside the juvenile justice board and about 100 national and international journalists have surrounded the complex waiting for the verdict on the juvenile accused in the Delhi gangrape case.

There is tight security and journalists are barred from entering the premises of the juvenile justice board complex.

10. 30 am: ‘Real tribute to victim will be for govt to wake up’

Anant Kumar Asthana, a child rights lawyer says,“If you look at three years as a punishment, it might seem like too little. But if you look at it as the time given to the government to work on a child, then three years is sufficient time.”

“The real tribute to the girl (the gang-rape victim) who suffered will be for the government to wake up to its responsibilities and ensure that children do not get into crime.”

10. 15 am: What action has the government taken, asks activist

Kavita Krishnan, Secretary, All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA), who was among those who led the anti-rape protests in the capital said, “For the movement, it is not just the verdict. Of course, it is important. The guilty should be punished. But the real question is how do we stop this from happening again in the future. What are the measures the government has put in place? There I think there is a lot that is wanting because there are very few serious measures that have been taken. Where is the accountability of the police and government in preventing this? Where is the public transport? Where is action against police officers who don’t file FIRs.”

10.00 am: Verdict will mark end of one struggle, says victim’s friend

For the victim’s friend, who is a complainant in the case and was a prosecution witness in the inquiry, the verdict marks the conclusion of one phase of his struggle for justice for his friend.

Asked what the announcement of the verdict signified for him, he told Firstpost, “Justice should be like a role model. But I find that nothing in his case represents a landmark. Even if society, as child rights activists say, is responsible for making a criminal of a juvenile, then the society should be held accountable. A verdict behind closed doors or a bulletin on TV changes nothing. To me, this amounts to achieving nothing despite doing everything….if society is responsible, then it should be held accountable. What has been done to reform society? The courts should take that up as well. By holding everyone responsible no one is being held accountable. We are blaming everyone and punishing no one.”

9.00 am: JJB expected to deliver verdict on juvenile accused this morning?

The Juvenile Justice Board is expected to deliver what will be the first verdict in the Delhi gang-rape case where a 23-year-old and her friend were brutally attacked by six men on a moving bus on the night of 16 December. The gang-rape victim succumbed to injuries two weeks later at a hospital in Singapore, amid massive public protests in the capital over the government’s inability to control rising crimes against women.

Six people including a juvenile were charged by the Delhi Police of gangrape and murder and their trials – before a fast-track court and the Juvenile Justice Board – respectively began in February and March.

Five months after the Juvenile Justice Board began its inquiry into the juvenile’s role in the crime, it will deliver its verdict on whether he is guilty as charged or whether he is innocent.

According to lawyers, if the juvenile is found guilty, the Board will call for a social investigation report and his Individual Care Plan from the institution where he was placed and then decide on the quantum of sentence based on these two documents.

The trial of the other four accused – the main accused Ram Singh was found dead in his prison cell on 11 March – is underway in a fast-track court. The court has concluded the recording of prosecution evidence began recording the statement of accused on Wednesday. The verdict which was earlier expected to be out by July looks likely to be delayed by at least a month.