Five-year-old rape victim deposes in court

A five-year-old girl, who was raped allegedly by two youths in east Delhi leading to a huge protest, today appeared before a court here and recorded her statement.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sanjay Garg recorded the testimony of the child through video conferencing after the court was "satisfied regarding her competency to make statement".
Her deposition was recorded in question-answer form in a child witness court room (CWCR). The minor, along with her mother and a woman counsel for her support, was made to sit in a separate room where several toys, eatables and books were kept for the child witness to make her feel comfortable.

The judge, who is presiding over a special court set up to deal with cases of sexual offences against children, was conveying his questions to the minor through the woman support counsel.
The CWCR has been set up to help children, who are sometimes witnesses in cases pertaining to sexual offences, to depose freely in the court.
While the judge and counsel were sitting in one room, the accused were made to sit in a separate room and they were visible through a glass separation.

Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar, now in judicial custody, are accused of raping the girl on April 15. The child was rescued 40 hours later on April 17.

Police said the accused, who are being represented through advocate R S Juneja, had fled after committing the crime and were arrested from Bihar.
The court also recorded the statement of the victim's father who identified Manoj saying he was one of the two who had raped his daughter as she was found locked in his room.