Gang rape trial on fast track as reforms considered

THE TRIAL of five men accused of the gang rape and murder of a young woman will begin on Monday in a special fast-track court in Delhi, an Indian magistrate has ordered.

The savage attack on the 23- year- old physiotherapy student last month led to widespread protests across the country as well as an unprecedented debate about cultural attitudes to women in India.

In the aftermath of the attack, the government – widely criticised for its slow response and for using riot police against protesters demanding better protection for women – has introduced a number of measures, including five fasttrack courts in the capital to deal swiftly with crimes against women. Other police and legal reforms are being considered.

The courts are aimed at avoiding the delays, incompetence and corruption that plague much of India’s legal system and are particularly common in cases of sexual abuse.

Though it was never likely that graft would undermine such a high-profile trial, other cases involving similar offences have collapsed when witnesses have been intimidated.

Five men will appear in the court in Monday. Aged between 18 and 35, they include a bus driver, a part-time gym instructor, a cleaner and a fruit seller.

A sixth suspect in the attack claims to be a juvenile. Reported to be 17, his case is being handled separately. There have been loud public calls for him to face the death penalty with the other accused.

Lawyers for the five adults, who were arrested two days after the attack, say police tortured them, including beating them to force them to confess to the crime, which occurred on December 16.

Such abuse is endemic in India, and legal experts said the claims were credible. The police say the men are linked by DNA evidence to the crime.

VK Anand, a lawyer for one defendant, said he would try to get the trial moved from Delhi because he did not believe his client would get a fair hearing in the capital.

The case has revealed deep cultural tensions in India, setting conservatives – who often blame Western influences for such incidents – against campaigners for greater rights for women. Since the gang rape, sexual violence has become front- page news nearly every day across India, with demands that the government do more to protect women and prosecute those who attack them.

The Times of India reported the case of an 11- year- old abducted from a bus stop in the northwestern state of Rajasthan and repeatedly raped by six men. She was ‘‘fighting for her life’’ in hospital, the paper said.