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| Delhi rape case: First witness to take stand at trial | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A court in the Indian capital, Delhi, is set to begin hearing evidence from witnesses in the case of the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in December. | |
| Five of the accused men have arrived at the specially convened fast-track court. They have pleaded not guilty. | |
| If convicted, they could face the death penalty. A sixth suspect is to be tried by a juvenile court. | If convicted, they could face the death penalty. A sixth suspect is to be tried by a juvenile court. |
| The assault outraged India and sparked a debate about treatment of women. | The assault outraged India and sparked a debate about treatment of women. |
| Reporting restrictions | |
| The first of 80 witnesses to be produced by the prosecution is due to take the stand in the court on Tuesday. | The first of 80 witnesses to be produced by the prosecution is due to take the stand in the court on Tuesday. |
| All reporting of proceedings inside the courtroom have been banned and lawyers cannot speak to reporters. | |
| A key witness in the case will be the victim's male friend who was with her when she was brutally attacked on board a moving bus. | A key witness in the case will be the victim's male friend who was with her when she was brutally attacked on board a moving bus. |
| The student died in a Singapore hospital on 29 December from her internal injuries. | |
| Her 28-year-old companion cannot be named for legal reasons. He arrived at the courthouse in a wheelchair, still unable to walk properly due to injuries he also allegedly suffered in the attack. | |
| The five defendants facing trial on Tuesday are Ram Singh and his brother Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur. | |
| They face 13 charges, including murder, gang-rape, kidnapping and destruction of evidence. | |
| Prosecutors say they have extensive forensic evidence, supported by the suspects' mobile-phone records and the testimony of the dying woman and her companion. | |
| Defence lawyers are expected to argue that the forensic evidence has been fabricated and that the rush to prosecute has led to an unsafe trial. | |
| On Sunday, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee signed a new anti-rape law which has increased the minimum sentence for those convicted of gang-rape and allows for the death penalty to be used in extreme cases. | On Sunday, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee signed a new anti-rape law which has increased the minimum sentence for those convicted of gang-rape and allows for the death penalty to be used in extreme cases. |
| But women's groups have come out against the new law, saying that marital rape and sexual assaults by Indian security forces in conflict zones should have been included. |