Four men were Tuesday found guilty by a Delhi court of gang-raping and murdering a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus here in December last year, a case that evoked nationwide outrage and led the government to bring in stringent anti-rape laws.
The court would hear arguments on the quantum of sentence tomorrow.
Besides gang-rape and murder, the court held Mukesh (26), Vinay Sharma (20), Pawan Gupta (19) and Akshay Singh Thakur (28) guilty of attempt to murder, unnatural offences, dacoity, destruction of evidence, conspiracy, kidnapping or abducting in order to murder, while acquitting them of the charge of murder in dacoity.
Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna, presiding the special fast track court, also convicted them for kidnapping or abducting with intent to secretly and wrongfully confining a person, abducting to subject a person to grievous hurt and slavery, abducting woman to cause her defilement, voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery and dishonestly receiving property stolen in the commission of a dacoity of the IPC.
As soon as the verdict was delivered, Pawan broke down while Vinay was in a state of shock.
Mukesh was heard saying "that they would have to face the consequences for what they have done". The fourth convict Akshay seemed unaffected.
"All the accused have been convicted for various offences including attempt to kill the complainant (victim's male friend), for gangrape with the victim and also for unnatural sex with her and killing the victim...
"The accused have also tried to destroy the evidence after the incident, so they are convicted under section 201 of the IPC. They had abducted the victim to have illicit intercourse with her, so they are convicted under section 366 of the IPC," the judge said while pronouncing the judgement.
The murder charge, for which the four men have been convicted, entails a maximum of death penalty and life term as the minimum punishment.
While pronouncing the verdict, the judge said, even though the proceedings against accused Ram Singh (34), who was found dead in his prison cell after he committed suicide on March 11, were abated, "he is also convicted under same sections (gang-rape, murder and other offences)"
In his judgement, the judge said, "Circumstances, conduct and overt act of the accused persons narrated/described clearly establish that accused persons had attempted to kill the complainant."
The December 16 incident in which the paramedic was savagely gangraped and brutally assaulted led to nationwide streets protest that heralded changes in the law.
The changes provide even for death in the case of rape but the present case was heard under the old provisions of IPC that provides a maximum sentence of life term for rape.
The fifth convict Ram Singh had committed suicide in Tihar Jail in March. Sixth convict was a juvenile at the time of the incident and has been given a maximum of three years sentence in a reformation home.
The judge said even though proceedings against accused Ram Singh (34) were abated on his death, "he is also convicted under same sections (gangrape, murder and other offences)".
Soon after the verdict was delivered, Pawan broke down while Vinay was in a state of shock.
Mukesh was heard saying that "they would have to face the consequences for what they have done". Another convict Akshay seemed unaffected.
In his judgement, the judge said, "The act of abducting the victim by deceit, robbing, causing injuries and the act of some accused in pinning the complainant (male friend) while others took their turns in committing rape/unnatural sex and while one of them continued driving the bus and lastly throwing them out of the moving bus, sharing booty, destroying evidence thoroughly show illegal agreement between them to commit such illegal act and they had knowledge of the same."
Also Read