Judgement in Delhi gang-rape case today

Reports suggest the 4 accused likely to attract death penalty if found guilty

It's judgement day in the brutal gang rape case of the 23 year old medical student in Delhi. Nine months after she succumbed to her injuries post a brutal gang rape on a moving bus in Delhi, a fast track court will deliver its judgement on 4 of the 6 men who were involved in the crime.

Reports suggest that the 4 accused - Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, Mukesh - are likely to attract the death sentence, if found guilty. All the accused have pleaded not guilty.

While one of the main accused, Ram Singh was found dead in Tihar Jail on March 11 and was reported to be a suicide, another accused, who was 17 and half years old at the time of the crime was held guilty by the Juvenile justice board and sent to 3 years in a correctional home. Under the Juvenile justice act, 3 years is the maximum term once convicted.

The brutal gang rape had shook the nation’s conscience in December last year and had resulted in widespread protests and call for justice for the student. The crime also brought into focus the issue of safety of women in the country. While incidents of rape continue unabated even after the outcry, the government took steps to get the anti rape bill cleared in Parliament in March this year.

The law provides for rigorous imprisonment for a minimum of 20 years, extendable to life imprisonment, to those convicted for the offence of gang-rape, and also defines and prescribes punishment for stalking, voyeurism and sexual harassment. The revised law also gives the provision to send repeat offenders or those found guilty of  rape attacks that lead to the victim’s death to the gallows.