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Delhi gang rape: Verdict on juvenile accused due Delhi gang rape: Verdict on juvenile accused due
(about 1 hour later)
An Indian juvenile court is due to deliver its verdict on a 17-year-old boy accused of taking part in the fatal gang rape of a woman on bus in Delhi. An Indian juvenile court is due to deliver its verdict on an 18-year-old accused of taking part in the fatal gang rape of a woman on bus in Delhi.
The boy is charged with rape, murder, destruction of evidence, and other crimes including kidnapping. He is charged with rape, murder, destruction of evidence, and other crimes including kidnapping carried out while aged 17.
If convicted, he faces a maximum of three years in a reform facility.If convicted, he faces a maximum of three years in a reform facility.
The boy has denied the charges - as have four other suspects on trial at a specially convened fast-track court. They face the death penalty. He has denied the charges - as have four adults on trial at a specially convened fast-track court.
A sixth suspect was found dead in jail. Prison officials said they believed he hanged himself. Defence lawyers and his family allege he was murdered. They face the death penalty.
If found guilty, the juvenile accused can be sent to a reform facility for up to three years. This would include the time he has spent while waiting for the verdict. A sixth suspect was found dead in jail. Prison officials have said they believe he hanged himself but defence lawyers and his family allege he was murdered.
If found guilty, the 18-year-old can be sent to a reform facility for up to three years. This would include the time he has spent while waiting for the verdict.
"The idea behind the provision is that three years is sufficient time to reform a child", Anant Kumar Asthana, a Delhi-based lawyer told the AFP news agency."The idea behind the provision is that three years is sufficient time to reform a child", Anant Kumar Asthana, a Delhi-based lawyer told the AFP news agency.
However, many, including the family of the victim, had demanded that the boy - who was six months short of becoming an adult at the time of the crime - should be treated as an adult and face the death penalty for his alleged crime. However, many, including the family of the victim, had demanded that the teenager - who was six months short of becoming an adult at the time of the crime - should be treated as an adult and face the death penalty for his alleged crime.
A spokesperson for the ruling Congress party, Renuka Chowhary, said in January that "given the nature of the crime, the most gruesome and heinous way a crime is committed, it has to be revisited to see how we define the world juvenile".A spokesperson for the ruling Congress party, Renuka Chowhary, said in January that "given the nature of the crime, the most gruesome and heinous way a crime is committed, it has to be revisited to see how we define the world juvenile".
The mother of the boy, who lives in a remote, poor part of northern Uttar Pradesh state, told the BBC in January that she had last spoken to him six years ago when he moved to Delhi in search of a job. The brutal assault last December shocked India and sparked a debate over the treatment of women in the country.
"There weren't many job opportunities in the village. At the age of 11, he asked for my permission to move to Delhi for a job. We last spoke to each other just before he boarded the bus to the city. He told me to take care of myself and not to worry about him," she said.
The brutal assault shocked India and sparked a debate over the treatment of women in the country.
In March, India passed a new bill containing harsher punishments, including the death penalty, for rapists.In March, India passed a new bill containing harsher punishments, including the death penalty, for rapists.
The victim, a physiotherapy student who cannot be named in India for legal reasons, and a male friend were attacked on a bus on 16 December.The victim, a physiotherapy student who cannot be named in India for legal reasons, and a male friend were attacked on a bus on 16 December.
Police said the assailants beat both of them, and then raped the woman. She suffered massive internal injuries and died nearly two weeks later.Police said the assailants beat both of them, and then raped the woman. She suffered massive internal injuries and died nearly two weeks later.