Chennai: The minor gangrape case which had caused outrage in December 2018, is drawing to a close, with the verdict expected on February 1. The arguments in the case, which went to court on 13 November, 2018, had concluded on December 3. 

In December 2018, a class VII girl living in an apartment complex in Ayanavaram, Chennai, had confided to her minor sister that she was sexually assaulted by some men working in the complex. Following this, 17 workers of the apartment complex - plumbers, guards and housekeeping staff aged 25 to 66 were arrested in the case, shocking the entire state. During the course of the case, the lawyers of the Madras High Court had assaulted the accused, and no lawyer was willing to take up the case, reportedly.  

While the prosecution made a case based on the accounts of the minor victim, corroborated with medical evidence, the defence had maintained that the accused were innocent and that such a case was 'not possible'. They had maintained that the victim's testimony against them was fictional.