July 11, Make or Break for Juvenile Implicated in Delhi, India Gang Rape Case
Apart from his birthdate, July 11, 2013 could well become one of the unforgettable dates in the life of the juvenile implicated in the December 2012 gruesome gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical female student in Delhi, India. On July 11, either the juvenile goes scathe-free and resumes life as always or serves time for the next three years at a reformatory home.
Various local media agencies reported India's Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) is ready to hand down its verdict on the juvenile, who remain unidentified, on Thursday.
During the entire court proceedings that started in March, the juvenile, who was aged 17 at the time of the gruesome act, vehemently denied all charges against him, and stood pat in saying he was not a participant in the horrendous crime, despite police allegations that he was the "most brutal" of all the six accused persons.
But India is on its toes, anxious of the verdict the JJB will hand down on the young man.
During the inquiry, the juvenile's counsel argued there was no medical evidence to connect him with the charges, noting his fingerprints were not present in the bus. Apparently, in the initial statements of the victim and her male friend, the juvenile, it seemed, was nowhere also at the scene.
The defence counsel had claimed it was the police who had implicated the juvenile.
The fatal gang rape and murder of a student on a moving bus sparked widespread national and international coverage and was condemned by various women's groups, both in India and abroad. A total of six men, including the driver, have been alleged to have raped the woman. The woman died from her injuries thirteen days later while undergoing emergency treatment in Singapore.
One of the five adults, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide in jail. The trial of the four others continues. A verdict, however, could still be far, but if found guilty, the men face a possible death sentence.