Park Street rape hearing begins
The in-camera hearing in the Park Street gangrape case began at the fast-track court of Bankshall court on Saturday. Barring the accused and their lawyers and the lawyers of the government and the victim, no one else was allowed in the courtroom.
Not even the family members of the three accused — Sumit Bajaj, Nishad Khan (Ruman Khan) and Naser Khan — were allowed. The media was also barred from attending the proceedings of the trial. Charges were framed against the three accused on February 19. Two other accused — Kadir Khan and Mohammed Ali — are still absconding.
Sources said that the trial began with the hearing of a detective department officer of the Kolkata police as the first witness. He gave a detailed description of the five-star hotel where the victim was befriended by the accused as well as the routes on which the vehicle in which the crime was allegedly committed had travelled on that fateful night of February 15, 2012.
The victim was not present in the court. She may be required to give her account in the next hearing on March 13. A total of 40 witnesses are likely to appear in the course of time. The victim’s lawyer Anirban Guha Thakurta had earlier appealed to the court to ensure that aspersions are not cast on her during the trial, keeping in mind a recent Central ordinance. “We requested the court to follow the recommendations of the central ordinance regarding crime against women. Under no circumstance should the character of the victim be questioned ,” he had said. Following a recent Supreme Court directive, the trial is likely to be speedy and completed within a few months.
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