Counsel chosen for Indian rape suspects
2013-01-10 18:57
New Delhi - Four of the five men charged with the rape
and murder of a woman on a bus in Delhi last month have been allocated defence
counsel, lawyers said on Thursday.
Manohar Lal Sharma and VK Anand said they would each
represent one of the defendants, speaking to reporters after a hearing at the
Delhi court.
Another lawyer, AP Singh said he would act as counsel for
two others.
The fifth man has not yet decided on his lawyer, they
said, after a hearing for the suspects behind closed doors.
Judge Namrita Aggarwal earlier this week shut the hearing
to the public after chaos erupted in the courtroom.
Members of the local lawyer association were involved in
a quarrel in the court on Monday after Sharma and Anand offered to defend the
five suspects despite a vow by the association that its members would represent
the men.
The court scheduled the next hearing for 14 January,
Singh told reporters.
"The scrutiny of documents including the charge
sheet is underway in court. Some documents in the charge sheet are not legible
and time has been given by court so we are provided the complete
documents," Singh said.
The 23-year-old victim died 29 December in Singapore
where she had been taken for treatment following the 16 December assault in the
Indian capital.
The five adult suspects are charged with abduction,
gang-rape and murder.
A sixth suspect is to be tried by a juvenile court once
his claim to be 17 years old is verified.
Judge Aggarwal is expected to transfer the case to a
special fast track court by next week, which will hold the trial.
Call for capital punishment
The family of the victim has demanded capital punishment
for the accused. Prosecutors say DNA evidence has established their
involvement.
The crime sparked unprecedented protests and put pressure
on the government to improve public safety in India, where rape and violence
against women are common.
An official from the main opposition Hindu nationalist
Bharatiya Janata Party was criticised for controversial comments on rape.
"If rape is done to grown-ups, it is understandable.
But whoever does such a heinous crime to an infant, should be given the
harshest punishment of death by hanging," Janata's Ramesh Bais told reporters.
Senior minister Jairam Ramesh responded by saying:
"I think it’s very unfortunate that patriarchal and obscurantist mindsets
are now coming into prominence. What people used to privately believe is being
publicly expressed.
"People who made these comments have no place in
civilized society... Anti-women politicians should go home," he told NDTV.
- SAPA
