A Delhi court on Tuesday convicted four men of the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on December 16 last year, an incident that shocked the nation and forced the government to amend the rape law. Additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna convicted the four men — Akshay Singh Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh — for gang-rape, murder and other crimes including unnatural offences, dacoity, destruction of evidence, conspiracy and kidnapping in order to murder.
“The facts of the case make all accused liable for the cold-blooded murder of the defenceless victim and thus the offence under section 302-murder, read with section 120B—criminal conspiracy—of the Indian Penal Code stands proved and the accused persons are thus convicted,” the judge said.
In his 237-page judgment, the judge said the crime was committed in a premeditated and most brutal manner using hands and iron rods to damage vital organs of the victim. He said iron rods and hands were inserted into her abdominal cavity and a major part of her intestine was pulled out.
“This act of complete destruction of the most vital parts of the body can never be termed as intending to cause bodily injuries, and rather it will be an act done with intention of causing death,” the judge said.
The court also found the accused guilty of destroying evidence after the incident. They were convicted under section 201 and 366 of the IPC for destruction of evidence and abduction of the victim and her male friend.
The court would hear arguments on the quantum of punishment against all four convicts on Wednesday. Fifth accused Ram Singh, 34, driver of the bus, committed suicide in his cell in Tihar prison on March 11, while the sixth accused, a juvenile, is serving three years in a probation home. more: p2,9