Court frames charges on bus owner in Delhi gangrape case

Nearly three weeks after four men were sentenced to death in the December 16 gangrape case, a Delhi court has framed charges of cheating against the owner of the bus in which the brutal crime was committed.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Kumar Gautam framed charges against Dinesh Yadav under section 420 IPC (cheating) and also under section 181 IPC (false statement on oath or affirmation to public servant).

Yadav has been in custody since his arrest on January 2.

The court, however, discharged Yadav's co-accused Jai Bhagwan, a retired traffic inspector, and Rakam Singh, who the police claimed had helped Yadav in getting the bus registered.

"Accused Rakam Singh and accused Jai Bhagwan have been discharged in the present case," the court said.

Yadav (35) was arrested on January 2 on charges of cheating and giving false statement on oath. He had allegedly submitted false information to the State Transport Department to get the registration certificate and the permit for the bus.

The bus in which the 23-year-old paramedic was gangraped and assaulted was impounded six times in two years and did not have a road permit or a fitness certificate.

Yadav was accused of submitting copies of his driving licence, bank pass book, LIC policy and other documents to claim he is a resident of Burari, Delhi though he was not residing there.

Police had said that despite being a permanent resident of Uttar Pradesh, Yadav had illegally and dishonestly showed himself to be a resident of Burari to get licence/permit for running his buses in Delhi.

He had used forged documents to get ten buses registered from the transport authority, Rajpur.

Jai Bhagwan, who has been discharged by the court, retired as inspector at Mall Road Transport Authority. He was made an accused after Yadav told the police that many transport department officials had helped him in getting driving licence using forged documents.

On September 13, Vinay, Akshay, Pawan and Mukesh were sentenced to death by a fast track court for raping the girl onboard the bus owned by Yadav.