New Delhi: Days after the Delhi High Court granted interim bail to former Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who was sentenced to imprisonment for life for raping a minor girl in Unnao in 2017, the survivor has opposed the decision.
The high court, on January 16, granted two weeks’ interim bail to Sengar from January 27 to February 10 in view of his daughter’s marriage.
The survivor, via a video and written statement, has expressed her apprehensions to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, claiming that her and her family members’ lives are in threat.
In her letter shared on social media, she claimed that her uncle could not get an interim bail for her sister’s marriage due to a conspiracy hatched by Sengar’s family members.
The HC on the same day of granting bail also adjourned Sengar’s bail plea in the custodial death case of the survivor’s father. Counsel representing Sengar had requested Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma’s bench to impose the same condition as Justice Mukta Gupta and allow the bail application.
The victim’s counsel had submitted before the court that a copy of the application may be supplied. The court had then directed the counsel for Sengar to supply a copy of the application to the victim and adjourned the matter for January 19.
In the rape matter, Justice Gupta had raised a concern saying that Sengar daughter’s wedding ceremonies have been scheduled for so many days and everything can be completed in a few days. Counsel representing Sengar had submitted before the court that he is the father and the ceremony dates are given by the priest.
Two senior advocates, namely N. Hariharan and P.K. Dubey, who appeared for Sengar, had informed the court that as Sengar is the only male member in the family, he has to make all the wedding arrangements, which are going to be held in Gorakhpur and Lucknow.
Meanwhile, counsel representing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had said that a status report has been filed by the agency and it was found that two halls have been booked for the wedding rituals.
The HC, on December 22, 2022, had issued notice and directed the CBI to verify the facts of Sengar’s bail plea and place a status report on record.
On December 19, Sengar had sought two months’ interim bail from the court for attending his daughter’s wedding, which is scheduled on February 8, 2023, and ceremonies will start on January 18.
Sengar’s plea against the trial court’s order in the rape case is pending in the high court, with him having sought reliefs like quashing of the trial court’s December 16, 2019 judgment, which convicted him, and the December 20, 2019 order sentencing him to imprisonment till the rest of his life.
The trial court had convicted Sengar under various provisions, including Section 376 (2) (rape committed by a public servant) of IPC and also imposed an exemplary fine of Rs 25 lakh on him.
The trial started on August 5, 2019, after the Supreme Court on August 1 directed to transfer all five cases related to the matter from Unnao to Delhi. The top court had directed to hold trial on a daily basis and complete it within 45 days.
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