Delhi rape: 3 to plead not guilty, say cops’ case flawed

Three of the six persons accused of the vicious rape of a young woman on a moving Delhi bus, which subsequently led to her death, will plead not guilty to the charges, their lawyer said today, citing lapses in the police investigation.

Five men have been charged for the rape, and may face a murder rap. The sixth, said to be the most brutal of them in the assault, is a minor and will be tried separately in a juvenile court.

Manohar Lal Sharma, who represents the bus driver Ram Singh - the main accused - his brother Mukesh Singh and Akshay Kumar Singh alias Thakur, said the case must go to trial so that the evidence police have presented can be tested in court.

"We are only hearing what the police are saying. This is manipulated evidence. It's all on the basis of hearsay and presumption," said Sharma.

It is not yet known if the two other accused men have a lawyer.

Advocate Sharma appeared in the Metropolitan Magistrate's court on Monday and offered to defend the accused amidst protests from the Saket bar.