New Delhi:
The first verdict on one of five suspects on trial over December's fatal gang-rape of a student on a Delhi bus may be delivered today.
The juveniles' court in the capital has finished hearing the case of a teenager, aged 17 at the time of the savage assault, which triggered street protests and new laws to punish crimes against women.
The juvenile faces a maximum sentence of three years in a correctional facility. He has denied any involvement in the crime.
He arrived this morning at court with his face covered. The family of the student who was assaulted with an iron rod before being gang-raped was also present. They have called for the killers of their daughter to be hanged.
Some experts say that the juvenile's verdict could be delayed due to a new petition in the Supreme Court which argues that the teenager should be a tried as an adult because of the serious nature of the offence.
The police had arrested six men including the teenager; in March, Ram Singh, the alleged ring-leader and man who usually drove the bus in which the gang-rape took place, was found dead in his jail cell. The police says he committed suicide.
The four other adult suspects are being tried at a fast-track court in South Delhi.