Indian police stand alongside one of the six accused in the gang rape and subsequent murder of a 23-year-old woman in New Delhi.
The case has sparked outrage across the country, with protesters demonstrating en masse demanding swift justice.
On Monday, a fast-track New Delhi court began proceedings against five of the six accused.
The five men have been charged with rape, murder and criminal conspiracy.
The public and media have been barred from attending the trial.
A sixth accused is under 18 and will be tried separately in a juvenile court.
Supreme Court lawyer Manohar Lal Sharma said he agreed on Monday to represent the men.
He said family members of the accused urged him to fight their cases, with many lawyers in the district vowing not to represent them.
The victim of the brutal assault, who was raped and tortured with an iron rod before being thrown from a moving bus, died from her injuries in a Singapore hospital.