Dec 16 gang-rape: Accused trades charges against each other

The court proceedings in the December 16 gang-rape and murder trial on Monday witnessed trading of charges among the defence counsel who used filthy language. Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna tried to stop the advocates from behaving in such a manner, saying "if they want to fight they can leave the court room".

"If you are not listening to me, then please leave the court room and fight outside the court. You should see that there are juniors (advocates) seating behind you.

"If you have some personal grievances against each other, you can settle them outside the court. Here I am hearing such an important case," the judge said adding why both the advocates are levelling allegations against each other.

The advocates of accused Mukesh and Vinay Sharma were making allegations against each other and were heard using filthy language.

The moment accused Vinay Sharma in his statement said the main accused Ram Singh (since deceased) and his brother Mukesh had falsely implicated him, their advocate V K Anand objected to the submission saying he should not say so, otherwise he will have to face consequences.

To which, Vinay's counsel A P Singh said Anand should not stop his client from making submission as Mukesh has already deposed that he is innocent and Vinay and four other co-accused were involved in the gang-rape of the victim.

When Anand and Singh shouted at the top of there voice, the court said "the judge and advocates should always be calm. The moment they lose their temper, it means defeat".

However, Anand's counsel said "now see what I can do. I will bring Mukesh as a witness in the case".  The court is hearing on a daily basis the case in which a female physiotherapy intern was beaten up and gang-raped in a bus on December 16 last year in which she was travelling with her male friend who was also brutally attacked with an iron rod.

There were six others in the bus, including the driver, Ram Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh all of whom had gangraped the girl and later dumped.

The victim died of her injuries on December 29 last year while undergoing treatment in a Singapore Hospital.  During the trial, Ram Singh was found dead in Tihar jail on March 11 and court proceedings against him stand abated.

The sixth accused, a juvenile, faced an inquiry before the juvenile justice board. During recording of the statement on Monday, Vinay told the judge that he is innocent and has been falsely implicated by Ram Singh and Mukesh.

"On December 16, 2012, I had a fight with Ram Singh at 8.30 pm in the evening as he has teased my sister when she went to buy milk in the market. We had exchanged blows during the fight and blood started flowing from my mouth.

"After that, I returned home. I, Pawan and one of our friends had gone to a musical function in South Delhi," Vinay told the court, claiming "I was not in the bus". He further said that as "I had a fight with Ram Singh, so he and Mukesh are falsely implicating me".

In his statement, he also said he does not know Akshay and Mukesh. "I only know Ram Singh as he was residing in the same society".