Chargesheet in TISS rape case within a fortnight

Additional Commissioner of Police,East,Ritesh Kumar said the Trombay police are engaged in compiling the evidence as well as medical and forensic reports. “We are currently perusing various documents and awaiting certain test results from the forensic laboratory. We do not want to rush the process as we still have many days left of the 90-day stipulated period for filing the chargesheet,” he said.

The last piece of evidence sent to the FSL was the memory card from the digital camera belonging to one of the accused,Vinamra Soni. On May 14,the Trombay police had told the Metropolitan Court in Kurla that they were awaiting the results from the card with which he had clicked photographs on the night of the alleged incident. According to sources,the reports of the tests conducted on the card were dispatched last Saturday.

“The card contained several party photos of the accused boys and the victim but none of them was pornographic. The pictures showed them partying; in some,beer bottles were visible,” said an official on condition of anonymity.

The FSL has already sent all other reports on the forensic samples,such as swabs and clothes,as well as the results of narcotic tests on the victim’s blood.

According to police officials,the student has assured them that she would be present during the trial. “A month ago we recorded the victim’s statement in front of a metropolitan magistrate in Kurla. So,even if the victim is not present during the hearing,the prosecution can rely on her statement and proceed with the case. The victim has completed her course at TISS and may have gone back but she has assured us that she will be present when the case comes up for hearing,” said a police official.

The American student had registered a complaint with the Trombay police station on April 14,alleging that she had been gangraped by six youths: Vinamra Soni,Anish Borkataki,Kundanraj Borgohain,Harshavardhan Yadav,Jasakaran Bhullar and Dev Cyrus Colabawalla. All the accused are in judicial custody.