Durgapur: The trial in the Durgapur medical student gang-rape case will begin on Saturday, barely three weeks after the incident, after a local court allowed its transfer to an additional district and sessions judge's court on Friday.
The development came a day after police filed an 861-page charge sheet, marking one of the swiftest investigations in a sexual assault case in the region.
Special public prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee said all legal formalities were completed before the charge sheet submission, enabling the court to commit the case directly to the sessions stage.
"The aim is to complete such cases within two months. Usually, delays occur at the commitment stage, when it is transferred to a higher court.
Since all legal compliances were done, we prayed for commitment on Friday and the court allowed it. Trial proceedings will begin from Saturday," he said.
The charge sheet names six accused, including the survivor's fellow medical student Wasef Ali, who is accused of rape and concealing evidence. Three of the accused, Nasiruddin Sk, Firdaus Sk and Apu Bauri, face charges of gang rape, dacoity and extortion. Two others, Sk Riazuddin and Sk Safiq, who confessed their crime before a magistrate, were charged with molestation, dacoity and extortion.
On Friday, the defence counsel appealed for bail for Riazuddin and Safiq, but the court rejected it considering the nature of the offences and the circumstances.
Investigators said financial and forensic trails were being examined, and any further findings would be added through a supplementary charge sheet. The additional district and sessions judge's court may now either retain the matter or transfer it to another appropriate trial court under its jurisdiction.