Shakti Mills gangrape accused's statement recording concludes

Mumbai: The sessions court conducting the Shakti Mills photojournalist gang-rape case trial, completed recording statements of the accused here on Thursday.

"The court has completed recording statements of the four accused under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)," special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told PTI.

Defence advocate Prakash Salsingikar said that the court had asked aabout 970 questions to the accused. Under Section 313 of the CrPC, the accused are given a chance to explain the circumstances and allegations against them, through their statements.

Meanwhile, Nikam began his final arguments in the related Shakti Mills telephone operator gangrape case and it will continue tomorrow.

The first case pertains to the alleged gangrape of a 22-year-old magazine photojournalist who had gone out on an official assignment with her male colleague, to the deserted Shakti Mills compound in Central Mumbai, on August 22 last year.

Allegedly, the five accused, (including a juvenile, whose case has been separated) gangraped her at the abandoned Shakti Mills compound, after assaulting her male colleague.

The accused, namely Vijay Jadhav, Kasim Bengali, Salim Ansari and Siraj Rehman as well as a minor boy, were charged with rape, conspiracy, common intention, unnatural sex and other sections under the Information Technology Act.

On September 19, 2013, the Mumbai police crime branch had filed a 600-page chargesheet against the four accused.

The other case is of an 18-year-old telephone operator also allegedly gangraped by five accused (including three of those who were charged for raping the photojournalist).