Gangrape: Court dismissed accused's plea for polygraph test

A Special court today dismissed the plea of two December 16 gangrape case accused seeking its permission to undergo lie detector test, saying trial is at its fag end and such test is a tool of ongoing investigation.
Besides dismissing the plea of accused Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur, Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna also rejected their application to conduct polygraph test on the victim's male friend, who was also assaulted along with her in the moving bus here.
"It is pertinent to mention that trial is at its fag end as 77 witnessed have already been examined and few witnesses are only left as per prosecution. Even otherwise polygraph test, admittedly, is a tool of investigation and its legal position has been settled," the court said while referring to a Supreme Court judgement.

The judge also said "the judgement (of apex court) do leave a room for the voluntary administration of the impugned techniques but still questions arise as to the user of such test and the stage at which it is to be used."
"Admittedly it is not a stage where more recoveries are to be effected. Rather the trial is towards its end. Hence the applications are devoid of merit and are dismissed," he said.
Vinay and Akshay, who along with four others, allegedly gangraped a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus here, had filed the application through their counsel A P Singh saying they are innocent and have been falsely implicated in the case.

Their counsel submitted before the court that victim's friend need to undergo lie detector test as he is hiding the true facts of the case and is falsely implicating them.