NEW DELHI - Trial of the five men charged with gang raping a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus here on December 16 will take another three months to conclude, say advocates.
Dayan Krishnan, the special public prosecutor in the case, said that “in another three months, the trial will be complete”.
The court was to hear the case daily, but after the judge’s father died, the trial has been in hold since February 13. It will resume on February 18 (Monday), Krishnan said. The trial, continuing since February 5 in a fast track court in Saket in south Delhi, is not being reported as Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna has restrained the media from reporting the daily hearings.
V K Anand, the lawyer who represents main accused Ram Singh and his brother Mukesh in the court, also said the trial would continue for another three to four months.
“There are so many witnesses that it will certainly take another three to four months to complete the proceedings. Now the court is recording the statements of witnesses, then cross-examinations will begin, followed by final arguments. The procedure probably will be complete in May-end,” Anand said.
A P Singh, who represents three other accused, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur, also said the judgment would come in two-three months’ time. “There are 80 witnesses in the case. The trial will take another two to three months,” Singh said.