Agencies, New Delhi
The next hearing in the December 16 gangrape and attempted murder case of a 23-year-old medical student by six men will take place on January 14, reports said today.
Five out the six accused – Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Akshay Kumar Singh alias Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma – were produced before the court as the sixth one, who went through an abdominal surgery for appendicitis in a city hospital recently, is said to be a minor.
Yesterday, a sessions court had upheld a magistrate order on in-camera proceedings in the rape case and that of restraining media from reporting on the proceedings. District Judge RK Gauba noted that there was nothing illegal or improper in Metropolitan Magistrate Namrita Aggarwal’s order of January 7.
“The magistrate was within her rights, rather duty-bound, to apply the provisions of Section 327(2) (conducting in-camera proceedings in cases of rape and related offences) of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr PC) to the proceedings of the case,” he said.
“The fact that a large crowd entered the courtroom, leaving no space for even the under-trial prisoners to be brought in added to the circumstances leading to the passing of the order,” the judge said.
“I do not find any error, impropriety or illegality in the impugned order. Therefore, the revised petition is devoid of substance and is dismissed,” he said.
Metropolitan Magistrate Namrita Aggarwal passed the order after the very first hearing in the case got embroiled in a chaotic situation as a section of lawyers, unconnected with the case, opposed two advocates coming forward to appear for the accused in the case.
