Two accused in the Delhi gang-rape case on Sunday told a court here that they wished to become prosecution witnesses while two others pleaded for legal aid to help in their defence. But the police said they were not taking the offer to turn approver seriously as they have doubts about the reliability of the accused.
Four of the accused were produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Jyoti Kler in her chamber after expiry of their 14 days of judicial custody. Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma refused the services of legal aid counsel and expressed their willingness to become witnesses. The two other accused, Ram Singh and his brother Mukesh, have asked for legal aid counsel.
The magistrate extended the judicial remand of all four till January 19. Prosecutors are known to accept pleas of the accused to turn approver and seek pardon for them when their testimony helps to bolster the prosecution in a case where the crime is not heinous and the role of the accused in the offence is relatively minor.
Reacting to the two accused expressing willingness to turn approver, a senior police officer said: “Even if they turn approver, it does not change our position right now, nor would it affect the outcome of the case vis-à-vis their culpability. They will be awarded commensurate punishment if held guilty along with others. It is during the proceedings before the court concerned that their applications would come up for hearing,” the officer said, adding the police had prepared a watertight case on the basis of scientific evidence and witness statements.
Police say father didn’t consent to reveal name
Amid reports that the father of the 23-year-old physiotherapy student, who succumbed to her injuries after she was gang-raped on December 16, wishes the world to know his daughter’s name, he is learnt to have denied having given any such consent.
“We contacted him on the phone on Sunday and enquired about it. He has categorically denied that he had given his approval to make his daughter’s name public. We had a conversation with him on Saturday also, during which he reiterated that his daughter’s name should not be revealed,” said a senior police officer.
Keywords: Delhi gang-rape case, Saket fast track court, Delhi rape accused, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma
Please people do not forgot that 10 ppl killed 183 ppl in Mumbai in 2008 but he was punished after 4 years only and govt spend 30 Crore for that person but these 6 people killed only one girl and think how many days it will take for Punishment. I am sure they all will get free from this case if this is happening like Lawyers are coming and protecting the FOOLS even after they know that culprits because of money. Here the lawyers are also culprit only.
Inspite of the national attention given to this case, the case begins in court after so many days. There are so many loop holes in our law/system. This is one among them - to get lesser sentence - to escape by becoming an approver.
Under any circumstance, none of the six accused should be considered for "Approver". The judiciary has abundant capacity to collect witness for investigation and deliver punishment to the accused. This is to be brushed aside as crocodile tears.
Considering they wish to take the easy way out for a crime does not bode well, and in case it is allowed, it will set a bad precedent for future such cases.
I believe that a strong verdict pronouncing the lack of options for escape should be pronounced in such cases so as to set an example of strictness and motivation in the part of the Hon'ble Court to deal with such heinous crimes.
It will indeed be very sad (and also illegal) if the police or the prosecution allow these two culprits to go free because they are willing to turn witnesses. Their offer should be ignored, and they should be tried along with the others.
These people show a familiarity with our legal system that is disconcerting. Under NO circumstances must they escape - them and that little monster being held under the juvenile law.
None of the accused should be accepted as an approver.When the victim's boy friend is alive there could not be a better and reliable witness for the gang-rape.As such there is absolutely no need for an accused to become an approver.It is imperative to give the utmost protection to the life of the victim's boy friend.It is the deceased victim's cry for justice that all those involved in the crime should be given the maximum punishment.Only then the ends of the justice will be met.The brutes who tortured the young girl should be punished in a manner that satisfies the collective conscience that was terribly shocked by the details of the crime.All the accused should be effectively charge sheeted and condignly punished at the earliest time.
The two who want to be witnesses for the prosecution, are probably the
worst. After all that has happened , they do not seem to have any
feelings of guilt, but are developing a strategy to get off lightly.
Why the hell courts and law enforcement agencies weeks to punish the criminals? This is the bloody Indian system which keeps dragging its feet for years to punish. This should change immediately, else there will be many more cases before the criminals punished, which in anyway will not help the law and justice in its logic in preventing crime!
"Prosecutors are known to accept pleas of the accused to turn approver
and seek pardon for them from the court when their testimony helps to
bolster the prosecution in a case where the crime is not heinous and
the role of the accused in an offence is relatively minor."
Seems like the court is playing around with technicalities. A person
who is an accessory to a crime, is as much guilty of the crime as he
is aiding and abetting the perpetrator, even if he is a silent
witness, enjoying the outcome of the crime. And out of 6 why have only
5 of them been booked? Our justice system is a total farce, hiding
behind legal gibberish jargon. The lawyers say that the perpetrators
have human rights, but the girl they raped and tortured so brutally
resulting in her death, didn't have any rights? In all fairness, the
parents of the girl should be allowed to pass the final sentence,
without any appeal.
No escape by becoming approvers! The punishment to all the accused, including the one presumed minor, should be swift and severe, which will be a stern warning and good teaching to others so as to avoid such offences.
They should not be allowed to turn approvers and thus a lenient punishment. That will be the murder of the justice. The culprits deserve the maximum punishment, i.e. death.
I am surprised we want death penalty for these guys. May be the right choice is to make
them live with the guilt and make them incapable of committing such crimes anymore.
How can accused turn to approver?? Is this our law?
The so-called juvenile should also be tried as an adult as the crime he has
committed is a heinous one. He is supposed to have hit the lady with the iron rod
and raped her twice.
Such decision could be a ploy to get lesser punishment . why Police
would be needing such help , in case charge sheet is prepared
flawless and leak proof ? Police should not be trapped in such ploy,
must ensure that all get Hanging . Life imprisonment would not be
punishment, considering brutality.Life imprisonment could be further
reduced considering their behavior. Therefore, Police must ensure for
fullest punishment. Victims desires that these criminals should be
burned alive , these utterance indicates she must have gone through
ultimate torture , we must respect her.
In India,turning approver is the same as getting a plea bargain in the
west. It has always been mind boggling to me, how and active participant
in a crime be given a plea bargain and the punishment be diluted by a
prosecutor or the state? In my opinion, all active participants in a
crime should get the same punishment regardless of their level of
participation. In the Sankararaman murder case, the approver was also a
active participant and the case is still languishing in the courts
without any justice to the victim's family.
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