Defence to cross-examine witnesses on July 16

A Delhi court has fixed July 16 to record the prosecution’s evidence in the Danish woman gangrape case. A 52-year-old Danish woman was gangraped by nine people here last year. Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja posted the date after the defence counsel submitted that he would cross-examine all the witnesses together as only one witness, Sub-Inspector Pankaj, was present in the court.

“S-I Pankaj is present today but defence counsel says he will cross-examine him along with Constable Ajay, who was the photographer of the crime scene. In view of the submissions made, S-I Pankaj is bound down for next date and summons be issued to Constable Ajay through the Investigating Officer for the next date of hearing, i.e. July 16,” the court said.

The court had earlier recorded statements of the victim and two Danish police officers who had come here from Denmark in pursuance to summons. In an in-camera hearing on July 1, the woman had narrated to the judge the entire incident of January 14, 2014 and identified three of the six adult accused as the ones who had gangraped her.

The police, in its chargesheet, had said the nine accused, all vagabonds, had allegedly robbed and gangraped the Danish tourist at knife-point on that night after leading her to a secluded spot close to the Divisional Railway Officers’ Club near New Delhi Railway Station. The nine accused, including three juveniles, were arrested. The three juveniles are facing an inquiry before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) here.

The six adult accused —Mahendra alias Ganja (24), Mohd Raja (22), Raju (23), Arjun (21), Raju Chakka (22) and Shyam lal (55), are in judicial custody and facing trial.The nine accused have been booked under sections 376(2) (g) (gangrape), 397 (robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and 392 (robbery) of IPC.

The woman had also deposed before JJB where she turned hostile and failed to identify the three minor offenders, saying that she had not seen them before.She had narrated the entire incident of January 14, 2014 to the JJB presiding officer and identified her robbed articles, including her hand purse, which were recovered from the possession of the accused.