Trial of 5 suspects in the gang rape and murder of woman in India set to begin in new court

By Ashok Sharma

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW DELHI — The trial of five men accused of the rape and murder of a young woman on a moving bus in New Delhi last month was set to begin Thursday in a special fast-track court set up after the attack ignited outrage and questions over the treatment of women in the country’s justice system.

Police were on alert outside the sprawling court complex in south Delhi as the suspects arrived.

The court is expected to hear opening arguments by the prosecution and defence lawyers. The trial will be conducted in a closed court room after Judge Yogesh Khanna denied a defence motion to make the proceedings public.

A sixth suspect claims to be a juvenile and is expected to be tried in a juvenile court.

Police say the victim and a male friend were attacked after boarding a bus Dec. 16. The attackers beat the man and raped the woman, inflicting massive internal injuries with a metal bar, police said. The victims were dumped naked on the roadside, and the woman died two weeks later in a Singapore hospital.

The trial is beginning a day after a government panel recommended India strictly enforce sexual assault laws, commit to holding speedy rape trials and change the antiquated penal code to protect women.

The panel appointed to recommend suggestions to overhaul the criminal justice system’s handling of violence against women, received a staggering 80,000 suggestions from women’s and rights groups and thousands of ordinary citizens.

Among the panel’s suggestions were a ban on a traumatic vaginal exam of rape victims and an end to political interference in sex crime cases. It has also suggested the appointment of more judges to help speed up India’s sluggish judicial process and clear millions of pending cases.

Law Minister Ashwani Kumar said the government would take the recommendations to the Cabinet and Parliament.

“Procedural inadequacies that lead to inordinate delays need to be addressed,” he told reporters.

01:58ET 24-01-13