Dec 16 gangrape victim's friend is a tutored witness: accused

All 4 accused said the victim's friend was compelled by the police to give a statement against the six men arrested soon after the incident

The December 16 gangrape accused today claimed in a fast-track court that the friend of the 23-year-old victim was a "tutored witness" and has recorded his statement before the magistrate under the "influence" of Delhi police.

However, prosecution witness, a magistrate who recorded the friend's statement earlier, said "I did not feel that he is a tutored witness".

All the four accused present in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna alleged the victim's friend was compelled by the police to give a statement against the six men arrested soon after the incident.

"I had recorded the statement of complainant (victim's friend) verbatim. I had not asked any question by myself in between the recording of the statement. I simply noted down the statement in the manner he stated to me. While recording the statement, I did not feel that he is a tutored witness.

"I recorded his statement after being satisfied about the voluntariness of the complainant," the magistrate, who today appeared in the court as prosecution witness number 69, told the court during his cross-examination by the counsel for accused.

The 28-year-old software engineer, who along with the girl, who was allegedly brutally assaulted by the six offenders with an iron rod and was later thrown out of the moving bus, had appeared before the magistrate on December 19, 2012 to give his eyewitness account of the incident.

The magistrate also deposed in the court that the youth was only accompanied by the investigating officer (IO) for recording his statement under section 164 of CrPC.

"It is wrong to suggest that the IO and the complainant were accompanied by a number of other police officials when they entered my court room," the judicial officer said.