Trial of teen in India gang rape begins in juvenile court after not guilty plea

Protesters in Delhi showing their anger again...

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The trial of underage suspect in the Delhi gang-rape case begins in a juvenile court after the defendant pleaded not guilty to rape, murder and robbery charges on February 28.

"The court has framed charges against the boy under relevant sections," said an official familiar with the case. "He has pleaded not guilty and claimed trial in the

case." 

Earlier this year, the Juvenile Justice Board accepted the teenager's date of birth as June 4, 1995, making him 17 years old. 

Under the Juvenile Justice Act, the minor faces a much lighter sentence for the crime. He can be sentenced to a maximum of three years in a juvenile remand home. 

The six suspects in the case have been accused of brutally beating and raping a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012. The injuries she sustained led to her death almost two weeks later in a Singapore hospital.

The trial of the other five accused in the case is under way. If found guilty, they face the death penalty.