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The Statesman

Publication Date : 20-01-2013

One of the six accused in the December 16 Delhi gangrape and murder case has approached India’s Supreme Court for shifting the trial outside Delhi, saying free and fair hearing is not possible here because of strong public sentiment against him.

Mukesh, one of the accused who has been charged with murder, gangrape and unnatural offences, submitted in his petition that in view of public agitation, police and judicial officials are under pressure to pass an order according to the demand of the agitators and fair hearing is not possible.

“The sentiment has gone into the root of each home in Delhi (because of) which even the judicial officers and state are not spared and in these circumstances, he cannot get justice in Delhi at all,” said the petition.

“The case has been assigned to the fast -track court which is going to begin from January 21 and due to media reports and agitations conducted by the media and others and due to political statements and personal interest shown by the chief minister as well as various Cabinet ministers, the judiciary is under pressure to work against the petitioner. Therefore the petitioner has filed the petition for transfer,” it said.

The petition pleaded that the apex court transfer the criminal case to Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.

There are six accused in the case including a juvenile accused. The five other accused—Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh and their accomplices Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur—have been charged with the offences of murder, gangrape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences, dacoity, hurting in committing robbery, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy and common intention under the Indian Penal Code.

All the accused had gangraped the 23-year-old student and threw her and her male friend out of a moving bus. She died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.

With reports from PTI.