Unnao rape case: CBI to challenge Delhi HC order; survivor meets Rahul Gandhi, seeks assistance
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which probed the 2017 Unnao rape case will immediately challenge in the Supreme Court a Delhi High Court order suspending the jail sentence of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, convicted in the case, officials said on Wednesday. It was decided to file an SLP before the Supreme Court at the earliest against the orders of the high court, which granted bail to Sengar after suspending his life sentence, a CBI spokesperson said in a statement. The CBI filed timely replies and written arguments in this matter. The family of the victim has also opposed the petition, citing safety and threats. The CBI will immediately challenge this order, the statement said. The decision came amid relentless protests by the rape survivor and her mother, who were allegedly manhandled by CRPF personnel in Delhi, triggering widespread criticism. The survivor has also informed that she will move the top court against the verdict. Hours after the alleged harassment by security personnel in Delhi, the survivor and her mother met Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, seeking their assistance in the legal fight. They also requested the assistance of a senior lawyer and sought to relocate to a Congress-ruled state as they feared for their lives, reported Indian Express. The survivor earlier described the Delhi HC verdict as o less than 'kaal' (death), noting that the security provided for her and her family had already been withdrawn after the conviction. If the convict gets bail in a case like this, how will the country's daughters remain safe? For us, this decision is no less than 'kaal' (death), she said. Suspending the life imprisonment awarded to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the Delhi HC on Tuesday granted him bail on a personal bond of Rs 15 lakh during the pendency of his appeal. The court imposed certain conditions, directing him not to enter within a five-kilometre radius of the victims residence in Delhi and not to threaten the survivor or her mother. Sengar, however, will remain in jail since he is also serving a 10-year term in connection with the custodial death of the rape survivor's father and has not been granted bail in that case. Sengar was convicted to life imprisonment for kidnapping and raping the minor girl by a trial court in December 2019. According to the prosecution, the Unnao rape survivor, a minor, was kidnapped and raped by Sengar between June 11 to June 20, 2017 in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao area. She was then sold for Rs 60,000, after which she was recovered at the Maakhi police station. The court found Sengar guilty of rape under section 376 (Rape) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 5(C) and 6 of the POCSO Act, holding that the victim's testimony was 'unblemished, truthful and of sterling quality'. The rape case and other connected cases were transferred to Delhi from a trial court in Uttar Pradesh on the directions of the Supreme Court on August 1, 2019. (With inputs from PTI) CRPF personnel manhandle Unnao rape survivor, elderly mother; UP minister mocks them
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