Delhi Rape convict’s plea ‘bundle of distorted lies’: Tihar Jail to Court

On Saturday, Authorities of Tihar Jail said in a local court that claims by Vinay Sharma, one of the Dec 16 gang rape case death row convicts, about his injuries are self-inflicted & he isn't suffering from any mental health issues.

Vinay Sharma’s Lawyer, AP Singh, had told the Court earlier this week that his client suffers from mental illness, schizophrenia & has failed to recognise his lawyer & family.

Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana has then sought a status report from the prison authorities & posted the matter for further hearing on Feb 22. Sharma had sought directions to authorities to provide him with high-level medical treatment to him for his injuries.

The petition said that when his lawyer found that Sharma had a grievous head injury, fracture in his right arm with plaster, & was suffering from insanity, mental illness & schizophrenia.

Public Prosecutor Irfan Ahmed, who is representing the Jail, said in the court Vinay Sharma’s application is a “bundle of distorted facts”. Ahmed said the death row convict himself struck his head on the wall & that it was a self-inflicted injury, he added.

Ahmed, in his argument, said the closed-circuit television or CCTV footage in the barrack showed the convict had self-harmed. Jail authorities have submitted the footage in the Court.

On Sharma’s petition seeking treatment at the Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Ahmed said examination by jail doctors & his history reveal that the convict isn't suffering from such disease.

Ahmed said that “So his examination at any hospital is not required".

When the Court sought to know whether the death row convict are counselled regularly, Tihar authorities informed that the counsellors present in the jail regularly deal with the prisoners.

On allegations that Sharma couldn't identify his lawyer or his mother during a legal meeting on Wednesday, Ahmed said there have been 2 calls from the convict from his mother & counsel on Feb 17.

He said that “So all allegations that he can’t recognise his mother are also false".

Sharma’s counsel AP Singh said jail authorities have concealed fact, contending that the court wasn't informed about Sharma’s injuries.

“When the incident had taken place on February 16, the court was not informed about the incident on February 17,” Singh said as he called for the CCTV footage on the day when he met Sharma on Feb 18.

Singh started crying while presenting his arguments & was offered a glass of water by the judge. He also said he might leave the case & might not continue in this case.

He said that “This might be my last submission".

Sharma along with Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta & Akshay Thakur were sentenced to death by a Delhi court in 2013 after they were found guilty of brutally raping & murdering a 23-year-old paramedic student on a moving bus on Dec 16, 2012.

Their hanging, as ordered by a city court, has been deferred twice.

On Feb 17, a Delhi court had issued fresh warrants, for the third time, to hang the convicts till death on March 3 at 6 am.

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