Dec 16 gangrape: witness says he feels harassed by defence queries

A witness in the December 16 gangrape case today complained to a fast track court here that he felt harassed by the questioning of the counsel for the accused.

"I am being harassed," the witness, who works for a private company engaged to patrol the National Highway (NH) 8 connecting Delhi and Gurgaon and provide help to accident victims, said.

The witness, who had made the call to the PCR, was unhappy with the way advocate V K Anand, appearing for accused Mukesh, was questioning him regarding his activities on the night of December 16, 2012.

The defence lawyer wanted to know what all help, if any, the witness had provided to the victims, what made him realise it was a police case, why he did not call for an ambulance, etc.

The witness responded to this line of questioning of the defence lawyer by saying "this is why ordinary people do not come forward to depose in such matters."

Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna at this juncture advised the defence counsel to calmly ask questions and to give the witness an opportunity to answer them. The judge also said "you should not unnecessarily ask questions. Don't ask qustions simply for the sake of asking."

The witness also submitted that as per instructions of his company, EGIS Infra Management India Ltd, he had informed the PCR and had not called for the ambulance maintained by EGIS, as it was a police case.

The defence counsel today also cross-examined one of the doctors who had prepared the medical report of the injuries suffered by the victim's male friend and complainant in the case.

He had also prepared a report on whether the iron rods shown to him by the police were used to inflict the injuries on the complainant.

The doctor, during his questioning by the defence, denied the allegation that he simply counter signed the medical report without going through it. He also refuted the allegation of the defence counsel that he signed the weapons, allegedly used in the commission of the crime, at the instance of the Investigating Officer (IO) and without examining them.
Meanwhile, accused Vinay Sharma was today allowed to speak to his family after a plea to this effect was moved by his counsel A P Singh.

Accused Pawan Gupta also met his mother and other family members in the court.
Mukesh, Vinay, Akshay Singh and Pawan along with two others, including a juvenile, had allegedly gangraped the victim, a paramedical student. The proceedings against accused Ram Singh have abated as he died on March 11.

The sixth accused, who is a juvenile, is facing proceedings before a Juvenile Justice Board.