Public won’t be allowed into India rape trial

NEW DELHI — The trial of five men accused of the rape and murder of a student aboard a bus in New Delhi will begin Thursday and should have none of the long delays commonly associated with India’s justice system, a defence lawyer said after a brief hearing Monday.

Judge Yogesh Khanna denied a defence motion to make the proceedings public, ruling that the courtroom must remain closed because of the sensitive nature of the crime, said V.K. Anand, the lawyer for one of the defendants, Ram Singh.

The five defendants’ faces were covered by woollen scarves as they arrived in the court, surrounded by police. A sixth suspect claims to be a juvenile and his case is being handled separately.

The judge told the lawyers to prepare for opening statements to begin Thursday and agreed to a defence motion to hold the trial every day throughout the week, instead of allowing the gaps of weeks and months between hearings common in other courts, Anand said.

Defence lawyers are awaiting a decision by the Supreme Court on their motion to move the trial outside New Delhi.

Police say the victim and a male friend were heading home from an evening movie Dec. 16 when they boarded a bus, where they were attacked by the six assailants. The attackers beat the man and raped the woman, causing her massive internal injuries with a metal bar, police said.