Dec 16 gangrape case: Court to pronounce verdict on Sept 10

A Delhi court will pronounce on September 10 its verdict in December 16 gangrape case of a 23-year-old girl in the moving bus with one of the accused admitting his presence in the vehicle but refuting the charge of raping the victim, who died in a Singapore hospital.

Accused Mukesh, who along with three other accused is facing murder charge, today told Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna during final arguments that he was only driving the bus and had not participated in any crime.

The trial, which concluded today after 130 hearings, saw Mukesh admitting his presence in the bus while other accused Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta denied the charges levelled against them.

"My mere presence in the bus does not prove that I participated in the gangrape, loot and murder of the girl, who died in a Singapore hospital on December 29. I, on my own, have admitted that I was in the bus and was driving it and had never left my seat," V K Anand, counsel for Mukesh, said.

The court, which started hearing final arguments from August 22, reserved its order after the prosecution and the defence counsel concluded their submissions.

"The arguments have ended now. I will be giving the judgement on September 10," Judge Khanna said.

Anand, who concluded his final arguments in two hours, said there is nothing on record to prove my client had "hatched any conspiracy with other accused. There is no meeting of minds between the accused".

"Mukesh was at his home, his elder brother Ram Singh, the main accused (since deceased), had called him when the others had already planned a joyride on the night of the incident to pick up girls to have sex with them," Anand said, adding, since Mukesh was inebriated, he was not in his normal state of mind.

The counsel said that the prosecution has not brought any witness or evidence to show that Mukesh conspired with the other accused.

Claiming that Mukesh has "clean hands" and was not involved in the gruesome attack on the victim and her 28-year- old male friend, the counsel said he can only be held guilty for his presence in the bus and not for other offences.