New Delhi: Agitators including women activists, stage a protest against the suspension of the jail term of Kuldeep Sengar, a former BJP MLA who was convicted in the Unnao rape case, outside the Delhi High Court, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo/Salman Ali)
NEW DELHI: The CBI on Friday filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi high court’s order suspending the life sentence of Unnao rape convict and former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar.Also Read | Unnao rape case: Protests erupt outside Delhi high court against Kuldeep Sengar’s bailAccording to a CBI spokesperson, the decision was taken after examining the order passed by the high court’s division bench.The agency’s move came three days after the HC granted relief to Sengar, an order that sparked widespread outrage and led to protests by the victim, her mother, and women’s groups.The survivor of the June 2017 assault had already said she would approach the top court.On Tuesday, a division bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar ordered the suspension of Sengar’s sentence during the pendency of his appeal against conviction and life imprisonment, subject to the furnishing of a bail bond of Rs 15 lakh. He was also granted conditional bail.Also Read | ‘His bail like kaal for us’: Unnao rape case survivor to move SC against suspension of Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s jail term; seeks justiceThe bench directed that the politician shall not enter a five-kilometre radius of the area in Delhi where the survivor resides. He has also been ordered to remain in the national capital and to have no contact with the woman and her family members.Senior advocate N Hariharan, along with advocate SP Tripathi, appeared for Sengar and argued that their client was not a public servant at the time of the offence. They also contended that there were “discrepancies” in documents relating to the survivor’s age and said medical evidence should be relied upon. Opposing the bail plea, advocate Mehmood Pracha, appearing for the victim, submitted that there had been “serious threats” to her life in the past. Pracha pointed out that she had earlier been provided security, which was later withdrawn, and highlighted that her father was assaulted in police custody and later died due to his injuries — a case in which Sengar was separately convicted.Also Read | ‘Rahul, Sonia Gandhi had tears in eyes’: Unnao rape survivor meets Cong leaders; says wants to meet President, PM The former MLA remains in judicial custody as he has not been granted bail in the second case, for which he was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. He has also challenged his conviction and sentence in that matter.The Uttar Pradesh government transferred the investigation to the CBI in April 2018. In August 2019, the Supreme Court shifted the case and all related proceedings from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi to ensure a fair and speedy trial. Sengar was convicted and sentenced in December that year.(With ANI inputs)
