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All four accused in Delhi rape case convicted
September 10, 2013, 8:06 am

[AP]

The four men are expected to be sentenced on Wednesday [AP]

All four men charged with the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old paramedic in Delhi last December have been found guilty by a fast track court.

The arguments on sentencing will be heard by the court on Wednesday.

A fifth suspect was found dead in his jail cell in March. While a juvenile accused of taking part in the rape in Delhi was sentenced to three years in a reform home.

The trial, which was put on a fast-track hearing, took seven months to conclude and saw over 100 effective hearings.

The gang rape victim succumbed to her injuries on December 29 at Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital, where she was airlifted for specialised treatment.

The incident triggered massive protests on the streets of new Delhi and other cities of India.

The Indian government has brought in a revised anti-rape law, which is expected to be stringent and facilitate speedier justice.

While the figures for crimes against women in India are appalling (24,206 reported in 2011), figures elsewhere in the world cut an equally abysmal figure.

The UK government’s Action Plan on Violence Against Women and Girls puts the figure of women raped a year at 80,000.

In the United States only 24 per cent of the alleged rapes result in an arrest, let alone a conviction.

An explosive new report by Rape Crisis Scotland shows they took a staggering 12,000 calls from anguished victims last year.

With inputs from Agencies