-Outlook Opposing the plea of December 16 gangrape accused to use as evidence a CD containing the interview of the victim's friend given to a news channel, the police today told the Delhi High Court that a "media interview of a witness is inadmissible evidence under the law." Special public prosecutor Dayan Krishnan, appearing for the Delhi police, told Justice G P Mittal that "media interview in any nature is completely barred...

-NDTV The 17-year-old who was arrested along with five adults after a student was fatally gang-raped on a Delhi bus will be investigated for charges of rape and murder, a juvenile court in Delhi has decided. Hearings will begin on March 6. The attack on 23-year-old Amanat (NOT her real name) united India in grief, shock and a campaign for tough new laws to punish crimes against women. Based on the evidence submitted...

-The Hindu Panel made details of incident, witnessed by street-children, part of its report It is almost a month since the Justice Verma Committee came out with its recommendations to make laws more stringent to deal with crimes against women, particularly sexual assault cases. Though the government acted swiftly by bringing out an ordinance to make amendments in criminal laws, it seems to have overlooked some crucial portions of the report which...

-The Indian Express In a criminal trial, if a juvenile girl can be judged on the basis of her assumed mental and physical developments, why should a juvenile accused be let off by giving benefits that he was less than 18 years of age on the date of the incident? While a debate rages over the trial of a Delhi gangrape accused who has been declared a juvenile, a Delhi court has...

-The Telegraph Law minister Ashwani Kumar today said the government had an “open” mind on changes in the Juvenile Justice act and the recently introduced Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance to ensure a credible deterrent that wouldn’t lend itself to abuse. He said the “final shape” to the new criminal law would emerge after a “comprehensive debate” in Parliament but didn’t set a time frame for changes in the JJ Act, 2000. The minister’s...