The first verdict in the December 16 gangrape and murder of a paramedic student is expected on Thursday by the Juvenile Justice Board which was trying a minor- one of the five accused in the sensational case that had sparked national outrage. Juvenile Justice Board presided by Principal Magistrate Geetanjali Goel concluded on July 5 its inquiry that began in March against the juvenile, who, the police claimed, was the "most brutal" of all the six accused persons.
The Board had reserved the judgement after it heard final arguments from both the prosecution and the defence in the case. The Board is also expected to give its judgement on Thursday in the another case against the juvenile pertaining to robbing Ramadhar, a carpenter who had boarded the bus on the fateful night of December 16, 2012 and was thrown out before the girl and her friend were assaulted. The girl had died in a Singapore hospital on December 29, 2012.
During the inquiry, the juvenile had denied all charges against him, claiming that he was not a participant in the horrendous crime. An Uttar Pradesh native who had moved to Delhi when he was 11 years old and took up menial jobs, he was one of the six accused arrested in the case. While the juvenile faced inquiry before the JJB, the four adult accused are being tried before a fast track court. Key accused Ram Singh was found hanging in Tihar Jail in March and the proceedings against him stand abated.
The case had sparked intense debate on anti-rape laws and whether juvenile age should be lowered. When the evidence was put against the juvenile during the final arguments, his counsel had submitted that there was no medical evidence to connect him with the charges and no finger prints could be detected in the bus to show his complicity.
The defence counsel had also claimed that the juvenile had been implicated by the police though neither the victim nor her male friend had done so in their initial statements. He had also said that the victim's male friend, who is the complainant in the case, did not depose against him even before the JJB and alleged that Ramadhar, who is said to have identified him as one of the six accused in the bus, had deposed falsely at the behest of the police.
The juvenile had in his statement recorded by the Board during the inquiry claimed innocence and refuted the police version in the charge sheet of him being the "most brutal" of all the accused. Besides the juvenile, four adult accused facing trial in the case are -- Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur. They have been charged with gangrape, murder, criminal conspiracy, unnatural sex and robbery besides other sections of IPC.
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