Dec 16 gangrape: Final arguments from Aug 22

A Delhi court hearing the Dec 16, 2012 gangrape case Wednesday concluded recording of the evidence and said it would hear final arguments from Thursday.

Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna fixed Thursday for starting final arguments after the statements of the defence witnesses on behalf of accused Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh were recorded.

The case relates to a 23-year-old intern physiotherapist who was brutally tortured and gangraped in a moving bus by five men and a juvenile, after she boarded the vehicle with her male friend.

The juvenile is facing proceedings before a Juvenile Justice Board, while the four other accused are standing trial in the fast-track court. One of the accused allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail, where he was lodged.

Out of four adult accused facing trial in the case, Vinay in his statements had claimed that at the time of incident, he along with co-accused Pawan had gone to a music event in the DDA district park at Hauz Khas in south Delhi.

Another accused Akshay had said that a day prior to the incident he had left for his village in Bihar, and was not in the bus.

The claim of accused however was rejected by the prosecution witnesses.

Another accused Mukesh had said he was driving the bus in which the woman was sexually assaulted and her male friend was brutally attacked by his brother Ram Singh, Vinay, Pawan, Akshay and the juvenile.

The other three had refuted the submissions of Mukesh and had claimed innocence saying they were not in the bus.