Issewal gang-rape: Accused pleads for change in counsel

Ludhiana: One of the accused in the Issewal gang-rape case on Wednesday pleaded for a change in his counsel during the case hearing on Wednesday, which will be decided in the next hearing in the court of additional sessions judge Rashmi Sharma on August 21.
On February 9, a group of miscreants had allegedly gang-raped a 20-year-old student after holding her and her friend hostage, as they had gone to Issewal to celebrate Chocolate Day. Police had arrested six accused — Jagroop Singh, a private vehicle driver of Jaspal Bangar; Ajay of Tibba, who originally belonged to Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, and worked as a driver at a petrol pump, and four nomads (two from Ludhiana, and one from Nawanshahar), including a juvenile from Jammu and Kashmir.
Manu Purang, counsel for one of the accused, said defence counsels pleaded before the court that the chief examination of the girl’s friend should be done first, and then both of them could be cross-examined together by them.