'Minor accused in 16 Dec gang rape case old enough for punishment'
20 April 2013 8:17 AM IST
The juvenile accused in the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old on a Delhi bus in December is ‘old enough to undergo punishment’, as he was old enough to commit the crime, union minister Jayanthi Natarajan said on Friday.
Speaking at a woman’s summit, Natarajan said the accused was ‘only a few days short of becoming a major’ before he raped the 23-year-old physiotherapy student, who later succumbed to her grievous injuries.
‘I believe if a minor is old enough to rape, he is old enough to undergo punishment... In this particular case, I think he was only a few days short of becoming a major and he should be punished,’ she said.
Natarajan also assured the gathering that justice will be done in the case as it is being heard in the court on a daily basis.
‘The trial is going on everyday. For the first time there is a day-to-day trial which never happened earlier... There will be punishment in the case,’ the Union environment minister said.
Speaking at a woman’s summit, Natarajan said the accused was ‘only a few days short of becoming a major’ before he raped the 23-year-old physiotherapy student, who later succumbed to her grievous injuries.
‘I believe if a minor is old enough to rape, he is old enough to undergo punishment... In this particular case, I think he was only a few days short of becoming a major and he should be punished,’ she said.
Natarajan also assured the gathering that justice will be done in the case as it is being heard in the court on a daily basis.
‘The trial is going on everyday. For the first time there is a day-to-day trial which never happened earlier... There will be punishment in the case,’ the Union environment minister said.
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