The Delhi High Court on Wednesday postponed to October 1 the scheduled hearing on the trial court’s reference for confirmation of the death sentence of the four convicts in the December 16 gang-rape case to make available documents of the case to their counsel.
A Division Bench of Justice Reva Khetrapla and Justice Pratibha Rani rescheduled the hearing when counsel for the convicts informed it on being asked that they had not been provided the papers either by the prosecution or the Court Registry.
Thereafter, the Bench directed the prosecution to provide the documents to them. In reply, the Special Public Prosecutor assured it that they would get the papers within two days.
The Bench also directed the Registry to provide English translation of the dying declaration of the victim and the statements of the other prosecution witnesses recorded in Hindi and exhibited before the trial court to the convicts’ counsel.
The convicts’ counsel had on Tuesday told the High Court that they would file appeals against their conviction. They had informed the Bench about going in appeal against their conviction when it had inquired about it from them.
The Bench has decided to hear the reference on day-to-day basis, pending filing of appeals by the convicts. The convicts’ counsel wanted the Court to hear the reference and appeals together but it did not agree.
The trial court had on September 13 awarded death sentence to the four convicts, categorising the case as a rarest of rare one.
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