简体中文
Indians demonstrate against the rapists during a protest to mourn the death of the 23-year-old gang rape victim in Calcutta, India, Dec. 29, 2012. The victim of the gang rape died early Saturday at a hospital in Singapore. (Xinhua/Tumpa Mondal)
The Indian Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on Tuesday the plea of one of the six accused in the horrifying gang rape case last month for shifting the trial to a place outside Delhi, because of public anger in the Indian capital, according to official sources.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir listed the matter after the advocate for accused, Mukesh, who is the brother of the main culprit Ram Singh, pleaded for an urgent hearing on the ground that free and fair hearing is not possible in Delhi because of strong public anger against them.
Mukesh, with four other adult culprits in the gang rape case, has been charged with murder, gang rape and unnatural offenses.
He submitted in his petition that in view of regular agitation, police and judicial officials are allegedly under pressure to pass orders according to the demands of the agitators and fair hearing is not possible, said Press Trust of India.
"The sentiment has gone into the root of each home in Delhi by which even the judicial officers and the State are not spared and in these circumstances, he cannot get justice in Delhi at all," the petition, filed through his advocate, was quoted as saying.
The gang rape, which took place on Dec. 16 in south Delhi, saw six thugs brutally killed a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus.
The gang rape has shocked India deeply and many have called for quick justice for the victim by delivering death sentence to the culprits.
At the demand of police, a court in south Delhi had to use camera hearing in the preliminary proceedings in the case due to fear of public lynching of the accused if they appeared in court in person.
