Delhi court frames charges against duo accused of kidnapping, raping minor in bus

The case has been listed for October 24 for recording the survivor's evidence. The court also rejected the defence's claim that the evidence had been "concocted" by police due to media pressure, observing that the material would be tested during the trial.Special Judge (POCSO) Sonam Gupta framed the charges a week after the Delhi Police filed a nearly 400-page chargesheet in the case.New Delhi,Oct 8, 2026 13:23 ISTA Delhi court has framed charges against a bus driver and conductor accused of kidnapping and raping a 16-year-old girl inside a sleeper bus in August, saying the evidence against them would be examined during the trial.Special Judge (POCSO) Sonam Gupta framed the charges a week after the Delhi Police filed a nearly 400-page chargesheet in the case.The accused, Kuldeep and Sandeep, have been charged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) with kidnapping, wrongful confinement, kidnapping for marriage or sexual intercourse and gang rape. They have also been charged under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for aggravated penetrative sexual assault.The court rejected the defence's claim that the evidence had been "concocted" by police due to media pressure, observing that the material would be tested during the trial. The case has been listed for October 24 for recording the survivor's evidence. A detailed copy of the order was not available.During the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Nimmi Sisodia said the girl's statement and those of other witnesses prima facie supported the prosecution's case that she was taken away, confined inside the bus and sexually assaulted before being abandoned near Kashmere Gate. According to the prosecution, the Class 11 student from Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri was travelling to Noida on the night of August 4 to meet her cousin when she mistakenly got off at the wrong location amid heavy rain.She allegedly stopped a sleeper bus, whose conductor told her it was headed towards Noida Sector 63. Police, however, alleged that the bus was empty and was returning after undergoing repairs at a workshop in Greater Noida.The prosecution alleged that after the bus began moving, the conductor behaved inappropriately with the girl and that he and the driver subsequently sexually assaulted her during the journey. The accused also allegedly threatened to kill her if she resisted.Police said the accused later abandoned her near the Kashmere Gate bus terminal. She then took an autorickshaw to a police station and reported the incident.The bus was traced through CCTV footage to a parking area in Timarpur within hours of the complaint, police said. The two accused, both residents of Kanpur, were subsequently arrested.- Ends