After the suicide of the main accused in December 16 gang-rape case Ram Singh, co-accused may have taken easy breaths that people’s sentiment might change but the horrific rape incident of the five-year-old girl has terrified them again. It seems that widespread anti-rape protest has made them realise that people’s anger has not come down.
Changes in their expression could easily be noticed on their faces during the court proceedings on Monday. When the accused was brought in the court for trial their activities were totally different from other days. Vinay Sharma, one of the accused, inquired from his lawyers and the mediapersons in the courtroom about the impact of the latest rape case. “Will this rape incident have an impact on my caseIJ” Vinay Sharma asked a mediaperson.
The family members of the accused are also shocked with this incident. Pawan Gupta, co-accused in gang-rape case refused to meet his father on Monday. He told his defence counsel, “I do not want to meet my father.” The incident has recalled the memories of December 16, when a 23-year-old girl was gang-raped in a moving bus and was brutalised.
Meanwhile, a doctor on Monday told a special court hearing the matter that the injury inflicted upon the victim by the six accused persons, “can cause death in natural course”. “I had given my opinion. The opinion was sought as to the nature of injury, it can cause death in natural course,” the doctor told Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna.
On Monday, out of the four prosecution witnesses, two were cross examined by the amicus curiae, Rajeev Jain while two police officials posted at Vasant Vihar police station were cross examined by defence counsel AP Singh and Vivek Sharma appearing for accused Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta respectively.