Unnao rape case survivor to move Supreme Court against suspension of BJP leader Sengar’s jail term

The survivor of the 2017 Unnao rape case on December 24, described the Delhi High Court’s decision to suspend the jail term of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar as “kaal (death)” for her family and announced that she would move the Supreme Court challenging the order.
On December 23, the Delhi High Court suspended Sengar’s life sentence in the rape case and granted him bail pending the disposal of his appeal against the conviction awarded by a trial court in December 2019.
While granting bail, the High Court imposed strict conditions, directing that Sengar shall not enter a 5-km radius of the survivor’s residence and shall not threaten the survivor or her mother. The court said that any violation of these conditions would automatically lead to cancellation of bail.
However, Sengar will continue to remain in jail as he is also serving a 10-year sentence in connection with the custodial death of the survivor’s father, in which he has not been granted bail.
Reacting to the verdict, the survivor, who was a minor when she was kidnapped and raped by Sengar in 2017, told PTI over the phone from Delhi that security cover provided to her family members, lawyers and witnesses had already been withdrawn, and the court’s decision had intensified her fears.
“If convicts get bail in cases like this, how will the daughters of this country remain safe? For us, this decision is no less than kaal (death),” she said.
Expressing anguish, she added, “Those with money win, those without money lose.”
The survivor, who was heading out with her mother to stage a protest near Mandi House against the verdict, said she would challenge the High Court order before the Supreme Court.
The Unnao rape case and related cases were transferred from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi in August 2019 following directions from the Supreme Court.