The Bombay High Court today raised questions about legal validity of the trial court's decision to frame an additional charge against the accused in the Shakti Mills gangrape case involving a woman photojournalist after the accused were convicted.
The division bench of Justices N H Patil and Abhay Thipsay was hearing a petition filed by three of the convicts - Vijay Jadhav, Kasim Bengali and Mohammed Salim Ansari - challenging the sessions court's order of March 21.
As these three were also convicted in a telephone operator's gangrape case, the prosecution, after their conviction for the photojournalist's rape, sought framing of charge under section 376 (e) of the Indian Penal Code, which provides for maximum sentence of death in the case of a repeat offence of rape.
This provision was added to the section 376 (rape) after the December 2012 Delhi gangrape.
"Will the provision of the section 376 (e) be applicable if the judgements in two different cases are pronounced on the same day? Can a fresh charge be added or altered after the judgement is passed? If conviction was not handed over in the second case, then additional charge can be applied," the bench noted.
The High Court also sought to know why the trials of the two cases were held simultaneously. "What was the purpose of having both the trials together?" the court asked.
The matter would be heard further tomorrow.
Defence lawyer advocate Moin Khan sought a stay to the proceedings in the sessions court, but Justice Patil said, "It would not be proper to stay the proceedings at this stage. But it would be proper if it is conveyed to the special public prosecutor there to defer the proceedings for a day."
The three convicts have also challenged the constitutional validity of the section 376 (e).
"The section is unconstitutional and illegal. The sessions court passed the order allowing framing of additional charges without hearing the defence," said advocate Khan.
