Noisy protests have led to the first court appearance by five men accused of gang raping a medical student to be heard behind closed doors.
The magistrate presiding over the case, Namrita Aggarwal, said: "The court has become jam-packed. It has become impossible for this court to conduct proceedings."
The hearing had been delayed by rowdy protests by some lawyers denouncing other advocates who have stepped forward to defend the accused and police were called in to restore order.
The five defendants, who could face the death penalty if convicted, are also charged with kidnap, robbery and conspiracy over the attack on the 23-year-old student in New Delhi on December 16 that has sparked anger and protests across India.
The defendants have been named as Ram Singh, Mukesh Singh, Vijay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta.
Two of the accused, hiding their identity A sixth accused, who is 17, is to be tried in a separate court for juveniles.
On Saturday, two of the accused, Sharma and Gupta, moved an application requesting they be made "approvers", or informers, against the other accused, according to public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan. The move is possibly in return for a lighter sentence.
It normally takes months for the prosecution to assemble such a case, but the legal proceedings are getting under way barely a week after the student died of her injuries in a Singapore hospital.
The government, sensitive to criticism that a sluggish justice system often compounds the agony of victims, has pledged to fast-track the case against the defendants.
Police pledged "maximum security" during the pre-trial hearing at the magistrates' court amid fears for the defendants' safety. Last week, a man was arrested as he allegedly tried to plant a bomb near the home of one of the men.
Protests have spread across India since the rape and murder of the woman Legal experts say the court, in the Saket district of the capital, will likely transfer the case to a more senior court.
The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had spent the evening at a cinema with a male friend on the night of the attack before boarding the bus that they thought would take them home.
Instead, a gang are alleged to have taken it in turns to rape the medical student as well as sexually assaulting her with an iron bar that they also used to attack her companion. The pair were then thrown out of the moving vehicle.
Outlining their case before the court in Saket on Saturday, prosecutors said there was DNA evidence to tie the defendants to the crime scene.
"The blood of the victim tallied with the stains found on the clothes of the accused," said Rajiv Mohan, part of the prosecution team.
He also said police had recovered possessions stolen from the victim and her boyfriend.
As well as the forensic and other evidence, the woman's male friend has testified to police and has reportedly identified the offenders.
Rape cases are usually held in private in India and it will be up to the court to decide what the media will be allowed to report.
The police have issued an advisory saying "it shall not be lawful for any person to print or publish any matter in relation to such proceedings" unless they receive permission from the court.
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