Unnao rape accused denied bail in survivor's father's death case
What's the story
The Delhi High Court has denied bail to former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the custodial death case of the father of the Unnao rape victim. Justice Ravinder Dudeja observed that although Sengar has served around 7.5 years of his 10-year sentence, the delay in deciding his appeal was partly due to Sengar filing multiple applications.
Case background
Sengar's conviction and earlier bail plea rejection
The father of the Unnao rape victim was arrested at Sengar's behest and died in custody on April 9, 2018 due to alleged police brutality. A Delhi court convicted Sengar and others for his death in March 2020, sentencing them to 10 years in prison. In June 2023, the High Court had also rejected a similar bail plea by Sengar, citing factors such as the seriousness of the offense and its impact on public confidence in the judiciary.
Case details
Unnao rape case and its aftermath
The survivor alleged that she had approached Sengar for a job in June 2017, when she was kidnapped and raped for more than a week by him and others. She was later sold for ₹60,000. Her ordeal first gained national prominence in 2018, when she attempted to set herself on fire, citing police inaction. Sengar was a prominent leader from the BJP at the time. Later, the party expelled him.
Legal proceedings
Supreme Court's intervention and Sengar's convictions
The case took a controversial turn when an unmarked lorry rammed into the victim's car, injuring her and her lawyer critically while killing two of her aunts. In August 2019, the Supreme Court transferred four cases related to the Unnao rape case to Delhi for speedy trials. Sengar was convicted in December 2019 for both the rape and custodial death cases. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape conviction and given a 10-year sentence for custodial death.
Bail status
Sengar's recent bail grant and CBI's appeal
Recently, the Delhi High Court granted Sengar bail in the rape case. However, this order was stayed by the Supreme Court after an appeal from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The top court said that while it usually did not stay a bail order, in this case, they were doing so because "there are peculiar facts and circumstances since convict is also sentenced for the culpable homicide of the survivor's father and he is in custody in that case."