NEW DELHI, July 23:
The trial in a robbery case involving the December 16 gangrape accused today commenced before a Delhi court which recorded statements of two police officials who were part of the probe into the case.
The court, which had on July 15 framed charges of kidnapping and dacoity against the four accused, recorded the statements of the two prosecution witnesses and listed the matter for further evidence on July 30.
The court had put on trial accused Akshay Kumar Singh, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma for the offences under various sections of the IPC, including sections 395 (dacoity) and 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person) for allegedly beating up and robbing a carpenter, Ram Adhar.
They are accused of having committed the robbery before allegedly of raping and assaulting a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus in south Delhi on December 16, last year. The victim had died in a Singapore hospital on December 29. Key accused Ram Singh had allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail on March 11.
Besides them, a juvenile, who is facing proceedings in the gangrape and murder case before Juvenile Justice Board, was recently convicted by the JJB in the robbery case.
During the recording of statement today, Delhi police official Ravinder Singh told Additional Sessions Judge Daya Prakash there was no delay in registration of FIR in the case.
He denied the suggestions of legal aid counsel Asim Ali, who appeared for the four accused, that the FIR was lodged at Vasant Vihar police station here on December 18 last year on instructions of an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).
“I myself have not seen the complainant in the police station at that time. Senior police officials were not present in the police station at the time of recording of the FIR. There was no delay in the registration of FIR,” Singh said.
“It is incorrect to suggest that the FIR was registered on the direction and instructions of ACP. It is incorrect to suggest that I am deposing falsely,” he said.
Deposing as the second prosecution witness in the case, police official Rakesh told the court that on December 24. last year, accused Mukesh was taken to the spot at R K Puram here, from where the complainant had allegedly boarded the bus on December 16.
He too denied suggestions of the counsel for the accused that he was deposing falsely in the case.
The court had on July 15 also framed charges against the accused for offences punishable under sections 342 (wrongfully confining any person), 394 (person voluntarily causing hurt in committing or attempting to commit robbery), 412 (dishonestly receiving stolen property knowing that it was obtained by dacoity) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.
The police, in its 15-page charge sheet filed on March 15 in the robbery case, alleged that bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Vinay, Pawan and Akshay, along with the juvenile, had snatched 35-year-old carpenter Ram Adhar’s mobile phone and Rs 1,500 after luring him into the bus.
Proceedings against Ram Singh have abated following his death. The trial against the accused in the gangrape case is being conducted on a day-to-day basis by a special fast track court here. (PTI)
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