Supreme Court to Consider Moving Delhi Gang Rape Trial on Wednesday

The Supreme Court has delayed until Wednesday a hearing on a petition to move the gang rape trial from New Delhi.

The petition by Manohar Lal Sharma, who represents one of the defendants, Mukesh Singh, was scheduled to be heard Tuesday but was deferred to Wednesday because the court did not have sufficient time to take it up.

Mr. Sharma said in an interview that he was convinced his client would not get a fair trial in Delhi, given the “unprecedented” public pressure and media scrutiny surrounding the case.

“Let us not forget that the accused also have rights in this country,” said Mr. Sharma. “How can they get a fair trial when every single person wants to see them hanged”

Over a month after a 23-year-old woman was gang raped in a moving bus in Delhi, outrage over the crime and demands for justice for the victim have continued unabated.

Pressure from protesters and unrelenting attention by the media have resulted in quick police and egal action: five men and one juvenile were arrested in a week; a detailed charge sheet, including DNA results and matches, was filed in 18 days, and a fast track court was established to hear the case.

The defendants’ lawyers say the atmosphere in the capital is too emotionally charged to give their defendants a fair trial. Mr. Sharma said the trial should be moved far away from Delhi, suggesting southern Indian cities like Coimbatore and Madurai.

The court is scheduled Thursday to hear arguments on the charges against the five men, which include gang rape, murder, robbery and destruction of evidence, after which hearings will take place daily.

Fresh confusion emerged in the Supreme Court on Tuesday after V.K. Anand, the lawyer for Ram Singh, another defendant, claimed he had been appointed by Mukesh Singh to replace Mr. Sharma as his lawyer.

Mr. Sharma said he continues to be Mukesh Singh’s lawyer and accused Mr. Anand of seeking publicity.