Five accused of Delhi gang rape and murder plead not guilty

Five men have pleaded not guilty to the accused rape and murder of a 23-year-old Delhi student yesterday. They face 13 charges and the death penalty in a specially set up “fast track court”.

The accused, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Kumar, Ram Singh, Mukesh Singh and Akshay Thakur, signed statements in the court declaring that they were innocent. The five men could face the death penalty if convicted. The men, on Saturday filed in to the court room with their faces covered, and are next expected to be back in court for a hearing on Monday for the formal start of the trial.

A sixth accused, who is believed to be a 17-year-old, will be tried in a juvenile court and faces a maximum sentence of three years in a reform facility if found guilty. A juvenile board said it accepted school records showing the juvenile as having been born on June 4, 1995. Police had been seeking a bone ossification test, suspecting that he is older than 17, however, the board rejected it stating that it would not be necessary.

The victim, a 23-year-old medical student, and a male friend were attacked after boarding a bus on December 16 in South Delhi.