Delhi rape suspects taken to court
Delhi rape suspects taken to court (Reuters)

The Delhi gang-rape case has been transferred to a fast track sessions court on Thursday and the trial is set to begin on Jan 21, PTI reported quoting sources.

According to the reports, Metropolitan Magistrate Namrita Aggarwal in Saket transferred the Dec 16 gang-rape case to Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna after she completed the scrutiny of the documents attached with the 650-page charge sheet. The legal counsel for the accused had earlier claimed that some of the documents attached with the charge sheet were illegible and had demanded fresh copies.

The fast track court was formed after nationwide protests over the gang-rape and subsequent death of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus in South Delhi.

All the five adults accused in the case - bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Akshay Singh were arrested and a Delhi court on Thursday extended their judicial custody to Jan 21, Zee News reported.

The sixth accused, claimed to be a minor, is facing separate trial at a juvenile justice board.   

Meanwhile, the prime accused, Ram Singh, demanded that the case should be shifted to a court outside Delhi and Uttar Pradesh saying that he is apprehensive of getting justice in a court based in Delhi, DNA News reported.

His counsel VK Anand said on Thursday that his client wants the trial to be shifted to any court outside Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. According to the media reports he is planning to move Supreme Court on his plea.