By IANS,
New Delhi : Delhi Police Friday filed a charge-sheet in a separate case – of robbing a vegetable seller prior to the horrendous assault and rape – against Dec 16 gang rape accused in a court here.
Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain took cognisance of the charge-sheet filled by police and posted the matter for March 28 for scrutiny of documents, according to court sources, as proceedings are held behind closed doors.
The charge sheet was filed for the offences punishable under various sections, including 395 (dacoity) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
All the six accused, against whom a charge-sheet for the rape, had allegedly robbed vegetable seller Ramadhar Singh of his day’s earnings after luring him into the bus.
The proceedings against Ram Singh would be abated as he had allegedly committed suicide inside the Tihar Jail, as per the sources.
The other four accused – Ram Singh’s brother Mukesh, fruit seller Pawan Gupta, gym instructor Vinay Sharma, and bus cleaner Akshay Thakur – are facing trial in the gang rape case.
The sixth accused is a juvenile, lodged separately, and being tried by the Juvenile Justice Board, and separate charge sheet has already been filed against him before the Board.
Ramadhar, a resident of Sangam Vihar in south Delhi, was going back to his home from the R.K. Puram market when he was lured into the bus and robbed by the accused. They took away Rs.700 and a mobile phone from him, as per police.
The accused had then allegedly pushed Ramadhar out of the bus near the IIT flyover on the evening of Dec 16 and then moved towards Munirka bus stand where the woman and her male friend were waiting for a public transport.
Police had later on recovered the looted amount and the mobile phone from the accused.
The six men, including the minor, raped the 23-year-old woman and also thrashed her friend and later threw them out of the moving bus in the cold Dec night out of the street – bleeding and without clothes.
The young student died of massive internal injuries in a Singapore hospital two weeks later.