INDIA: Congress Party chief Sonia Gandhi promises speedy trial in Delhi gang-rape case

Record ID: 1374247

  • Title: INDIA: Congress Party chief Sonia Gandhi promises speedy trial in Delhi gang-rape case
  • Date: 23rd December 2012
  • Summary: PROTESTERS COMING OUT AFTER THE MEETING
  • Embargoed: 7th January 2013 19:26
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Crime,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEP7UU6GXYOZZPHTI3QZA1EY96
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: The Chief of India's ruling Congress Party, Sonia Gandhi, promised speedy trial in the Delhi gang-rape case but refused to give a time-frame after a meeting with a group of protesters and other leaders, said junior minister on Sunday (December 23).
    Doctors said the 23-year-old victim of last week's attack, who was beaten, raped for almost an hour and thrown out of a moving bus in New Delhi, was still in a critical condition on respiratory support but responding to treatment.
    Unidentifed campaigners met Gandhi at her official residence, along with her son Rahul Gandhi, junior Home (Interior) Minister RPN Singh and Congress leader Renuka Chaudhury.
    They said demonstrations would continue despite police crackdown, but appealed for peace at the same time.
    Singh said the government would set up a fast-track court so that convictions could be made swiftly.
    "We have assured that we will put this case in a fast track court and day-to-day hearings will take place. We will urge the court to include it in rarest of the rare cases. They wanted a time frame for it. This will be decided by the court but our effort will be to punish the culprits as soon as possible and the culprits should get stringent punishments," Singh told reporters outside Gandhi's residence in New Delhi after the meet.
    He also promised to look into various measures regarding the protection of women, as suggested by the protesters.
    "They also wanted government to bring new legislation for the protection of women across the country. They have suggested 12 to 13 measures, regarding the female protection, which is a big issue right now in the country. We will study those suggestions and would like to implement them also," added Singh.
    Meanwhile, the Indian government moved on Sunday to stamp out protests that have swelled in New Delhi since the attack, banning gatherings of more than five people, but still thousands poured into the heart of the capital to vent their anger.
    Police in riot gear used tear gas and batons to hold crowds back from marching on the presidential palace, just as they did the day before in clashes that media reports said injured more than two dozen protesters.
    New Delhi has the highest number of sex crimes among India's major cities, with a rape reported on average every 18 hours, according to police figures.
    Most sexual assaults go unreported and unremarked, but the brutality of last week's attack triggered the biggest protests in the capital since mid-2011 demonstrations against corruption that rocked the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
    The protesters, predominantly college students but also housewives and even children, are demanding more steps from the authorities to ensure safety for women and some want the death penalty for the accused.
    Since last week's rape, the authorities have promised better police patrolling to ensure safety for women returning from work and entertainment districts, the installation of GPS on public transport vehicles, more buses at night, and fast-track courts for swift verdicts on cases of rape and sexual assault.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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