Doctor to testify gang rape case
2013-02-25 15:44
New Delhi - A Singapore doctor, who performed a
post-mortem examination on an Indian gang-rape victim, is to testify via video link
on Monday in the trial of five men accused of her murder, a defence lawyer
said.
The 23-year-old student who was raped and attacked with an
iron bar in December died of massive internal injuries after the Indian
government airlifted her to a top Singapore hospital in a last-ditch attempt to
save her life.
"The doctor who conducted the post-mortem on the
woman at the Singapore hospital will depose before the trial court judge,"
lawyer V K Anand told AFP.
He said two other doctors from Mount Elizabeth Hospital
will also testify in the trial that is being held behind closed doors in a new
"fast-track" New Delhi court established to hear the case.
Post-mortem testimony in murder trials is vital to
establish the cause of death, as well as help to determine whether the death
was intentional, lawyers say.
The physiotherapy student was attacked on a New Delhi bus
while returning home from watching a movie at a mall, in a brutal assault which
outraged the nation and triggered angry protests.
Five men are on trial for murder, rape and robbery and
other charges, while a sixth defendant, who is a juvenile, is being tried
separately.
Despite huge public interest in the case, the judge has
barred reporting of the proceedings of the trial.
Although sexual harassment is commonplace in India and
gang-rapes far from rare, the case has touched a nerve in the country, leading
to an outpouring of criticism of the police and attitudes toward women in
Indian society.
- SAPA
