All the four accused in the December 16 gang rape case were held guilty by a Delhi court on Tuesday. The court gave its verdict in the gang-rape case, in which four adult accused were tried for the rape and murder of a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus. The quantum of sentence would be announced by the court on Wednesday. Additional sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna had, on September 3, reserved his order for September 10 after the prosecution and defence closed their arguments.

Police had charged six people in the incident. The charges in the case were framed on February 2 during which the court also invoked section 366 of IPC against them for abducting the girl with the intention of committing illicit intercourse. 

Out of the six accused, the case against one of the main accused, Ram Singh, was dropped following his death in Tihar Jail during the trial earlier this year. The sixth juvenile accused was held guilty by the Juvenile Justice Board on August 31, and was sent to a remand home for three years. It had in its order described the juvenile as an associate of the adult accused, who committed gang rape in furtherance of the conspiracy and "common intention".

The four have been tried for offences under section 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 376 (2)(g) (gangrape), 377 (unnatural offences), 395 (dacoity), 396 (murder in dacoity), 201 (destruction of evidence), 120-B (conspiracy), 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery), and 412 (dishonestly receiving property stolen in the commission of a dacoity) of the IPC.

The defence lawyer has said they will challenge the order in a high court.

Also read: Rape: Mumbai or Delhi, the male gaze reflects similar horror