This is not the first time the defence lawyers have made controversial statements regarding the case.
Leslee Udwin's documentary India's Daughter has been mired in controversy, after it was said to contain regressive statements by one of the 2012 Delhi gangrape accused, blaming the victim for the rape.
Meanwhile, in an interview with a national daily, the defence lawyer for the accused, ML Sharma echoed similar sentiments. "If you keep sweets on the street then dogs will come and eat them. Why did Nirbhaya's parents send her with anyone that late at night? He was not her boyfriend. Is it not the parents' responsibility to keep an eye on where she goes and with whom?" he is quoted as saying.
Sharma also said that the documentary was of 'no legal value' and added that Indian culture was the best culture and had no place for women. Sharma said that he was interviewed for the documentary but never saw the finished version.
The other defence lawyer in the case, AP Singh said that airing of the documentary would lead to a media trial and called for a probe as to how access was allowed to the convicts.
This is not the first time the defence lawyers have made controversial statements regarding the case. In September 2013, Singh was in the news for making this statement: "...if my daughter was having premarital sex and moving around at night with her boyfriend, I would have burnt her alive. I would not have let this situation happen. All parents should adopt such an attitude."
Sharma had also caused much furore when he had said, "The girl is partly responsible for the rape because she chose to be out with a man, who was her boyfriend, not her husband.”
He had also added, "If you are fully covered, nobody will disrespect you or hurt you,” he says. “Where is the question of rape?... Had she stayed home, this would never have happened and therefore she is responsible for what happened. Why should you put yourself in a situation where you can’t protect yourself? She gave the men an opportunity to misbehave with her.”
Sharma had stood by his statements claiming 'no respectable woman gets raped."
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