Gangrape case: SC says TV interview cannot be used as evidence

The Supreme Court today said the television interview of the December 16 gangrape victim's friend cannot be used as evidence in the trial proceedings.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir set aside the Delhi High Court order which had allowed use of the interview CD as evidence.

The bench said that the interview was given after the charge sheet was filed and therefore, it could not be used as evidence under the law.

The court passed the order on a petition filed by the Delhi government challenging the March 7 order of the high court.

The high court had allowed the plea of accused Ram Singh, who has since died, and his brother Mukesh and set aside the trial court's February 8 order by which they were not allowed to exhibit the CD of the interview telecast on January 4, as a piece of evidence.

On March 22, the apex court had stayed the high court's order.

The 23-year-old victim was brutally gangraped and assaulted by six persons in a moving bus in south Delhi on December 16, last year. She died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.

With the proceedings against the main accused Ram Singh having abated after his death on March 11, the remaining four adult accused Mukesh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh and Pawan Gupta are facing trial in the case for rape and murder of the girl.

The sixth is a juvenile and is facing proceedings before the Juvenile Justice Board.