india

Updated: Sep 07, 2019 01:27 IST

The Delhi high court on Friday approved the recording of statement of a rape survivor at the trauma centre of All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) by special judge Dharmesh Sharma, who is conducting trial in the case.

A notification to this effect was issued by the Delhi HC late in the evening.

It said that chief justice DN Patel and judges of the high court ordered that “Special Judge Dharmesh Sharma shall hold court for recording the testimony of the victim in the premises/building of trauma centre of AIIMS in addition to the Tis Hazari District Court Complex during trial of the cases”.

The rape survivor is admitted in AIIMS after she sustained injuries during a road accident in which MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who was expelled from the Bharatiya Janata Party, is an accused.

She was air-lifted from Lucknow hospital to Delhi on the orders of the Supreme Court.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court directed the HC to decide on setting up a temporary court at AIIMS for recording the statement of the Unnao rape survivor.

The direction came after the top court took note of a status report filed by a trial court judge requesting to set up a court in AIIMS.

The rape survivor, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, and her lawyer were left critically injured on the road accident in which two of her aunts died.

The top court , on August 1, transferred all cases related to the matter from Uttar Pradesh to the court of District Judge Dharmesh Shama in Tis Hazari, New Delhi.

Expelled BJP legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who represents Bangarmau in the Uttar Pradesh assembly, is the prime accused in the rape case. The woman’s family has alleged his role in the accident.

The top court also gave the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday two more weeks to complete its probe in the road accident case, and to file its final investigation report (charge sheet) in the gang rape case lodged by her mother.

A bench led by Justice Deepak Gupta also gave more time to the trial judge, who is to hear and decide all Unnao-related cases. According to an earlier order, the trial in all related had to conclude in 45 days. But in his status report given to the top court in a sealed cover, the trial court judge has asked for a separate deadline for each case.

The bench also deferred the cross-examination of witnesses in the rape case till CBI files its charge sheet in the gang rape case. This was done after the counsel for the accused said he wanted to confront the prosecution witnesses in the rape case, and this will only be possible only when the charge sheet is filed.

The bench also clarified that it will be up to the trial judge to decide if such confrontation of any witness was necessary. “It will be better to give the time than pave the way an acquittal on technical grounds,” Justice Gupta remarked.