Delhi court frames charges against bus driver, conductor in minor's alleged gang-rape case

A Delhi court has framed charges against a bus driver and conductor accused of kidnapping and allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl inside a sleeper bus in August, saying the evidence against the accused would be examined during the trial.

Special Judge (POCSO) Sonam Gupta framed the charges a week after the Delhi Police filed a nearly 400-page chargesheet in the case.

The accused, Kuldeep and Sandeep, have been charged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) with kidnapping, wrongful confinement, kidnapping for marriage or sexual intercourse and gang rape.

They have also been charged under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for aggravated penetrative sexual assault.

The court rejected the defence's claim that the evidence had been "concocted" by police due to media pressure, saying the material would be examined during the trial.

The case has been listed for October 24 for recording the victim's evidence. A detailed copy of the court's order was not available.

During the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Nimmi Sisodia said the girl's statement and those of other witnesses prima facie supported the prosecution's case that she was taken away, confined inside the bus and sexually assaulted before being abandoned near Kashmere Gate.

According to the prosecution, the Class 11 student from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh was travelling to Noida on the night of August 4 to meet her cousin. Amid heavy rain, she allegedly got off at the wrong location.

She then flagged down a sleeper bus, and its conductor allegedly told her that the bus was headed towards Noida Sector 63. Police, however, alleged that the bus was empty and was returning after repairs at a workshop in Greater Noida.

The prosecution alleged that after the bus began moving, the conductor behaved inappropriately with the girl. It further alleged that both the conductor and driver sexually assaulted her during the journey.

Police also alleged that the accused threatened to kill the girl if she resisted.

The accused allegedly abandoned her near the Kashmere Gate bus terminal. She then took an autorickshaw to a police station and reported the incident.

Police said CCTV footage helped them trace the bus to a parking area in Timarpur within hours of receiving the complaint. The two accused, both residents of Kanpur, were subsequently arrested.  (with inputs from PTI)