Gang-rape case: defence lawyer alleges frame-up by police

The lawyer of Siraj Rehman, one of the accused in the Shakti Mill telephone operator rape case, today argued before the trial court here that his client was innocent and had been framed up.
"Accused Siraj Rehman has been made a scapegoat as he was also arrested in the photojournalist rape case (which took place on the same premises some days later)," his lawyer R G Gadgil said.
The court is hearing the final arguments.
Earlier, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam argued before the Principal Judge Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi that all the evidence had been corroborated, and the accused should be convicted.

Gadgil argued that victim's statement was a concocted story. "It's like a movie, the screenplay was ready and the police went on inserting (names of) the actors (accused)", Gadgil alleged and added that words were put in the victim's mouth.
Mobile phone and a SIM card were planted on the accused just to implicate him, Gadgil said.

During the cross-examination of one of the police officers, who arrested the accused, he had told the court that there could be many people with such names, Gadgil noted.
Further, one 'panch' witness did not even state the date on which their statements were recorded. "One of the panch witnesses is a mechanic, and he also repaired police's vehicles as he knew them," said Gadgil.

"The investigation officer was given instructions to make up such a case, and hence he made it up," the lawyer said.
The identification parade was flawed as the witnesses already knew the name of the accused, he argued.
Lawyers of the other three accused are likely to make their arguments on Monday.