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Activists of the right winged Hindu nationalist Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or World Hindu Council, shout slogans during a protest against Pakistan, in Jammu, India, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013. India has formally complained about an attack on an Indian army patrol in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir that killed two soldiers and left their bodies mutilated. India says Pakistani troops crossed the cease-fire line Tuesday and attacked Indian soldiers patrolling in the Mendhar region before retreating.




The case has sparked protests across India by women and men who say India's legal system doesn't do enough to prevent attacks on women. Women have told stories of relentless abuse—from catcalls to bus gropings to rapes—and of a police and judicial system that does little to stop it, often blaming victims' unchaste behavior.

The woman and her male friend were coming home from a movie at a New Delhi mall when they boarded a bus that police say was carrying the defendants, who were traveling together on a joy ride through the city. The woman's friend, who has not been identified, has said he tried to defend the woman but was soon beaten unconscious. Authorities say the two were dumped off the bus, naked and bloody, later.

Sharma said that authorities, under pressure to quickly wrap up the case, would convict the suspects no matter what evidence, including forcing them to make incriminating statements.

"What happened to this woman was so heinous, so horrible," Sharma said, adding that, "the police will manipulate the facts."

Sharma also said that the woman's companion was ultimately responsible.


Sharma spoke to reporters before a hearing for the suspects in a New Delhi court complex. While Sharma had said he represented three of the suspects—bus driver Ram Singh, Singh's brother Mukesh, and another man, Akshay Thakur—the court eventually approved him to serve as the lawyer only for Mukesh Singh. Other lawyers were assigned to three other suspects, and it was not immediately clear why the fifth had no assigned lawyer.

The suspects were quickly hustled into the courtroom Thursday afternoon for the hearing, their faces covered by scarves or hats. They were surrounded by rings of policemen, and it was not clear if they were handcuffed or shackled.



Sharma appears to be preparing a defense based, in part, on the many problems with the legal and judicial system. He indicated the men had been picked up because the authorities needed to make arrests given the public outcry, and the suspects all come from poor or working class families.

"If the parents of these boys had money, they would not be in court today," he said. India's court system is notorious for allowing wealthy defendants to go free, or at least delaying their trials for years. 

He said his clients had all been badly beaten by authorities—a practice common for those under arrest in India—and had repeated whatever statements the police asked them to make. He said Mukesh Singh, 22, was now constantly in tears.

"He is sobbing like a child and saying 'Get me out of here, sir,'" Sharma said.

Authorities have charged the men with murder, rape and other crimes that could bring the death penalty. A sixth suspect, who is 17 years old, is expected to be tried in a juvenile court, where the maximum sentence would be three years in a reform facility.
