Unnao rape case verdict: Expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was today handed life imprisonment. He has also been asked to pay Rs 25 lakh to the victim. The Court today ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to assess threat perception and offer the necessary protection to the victim and her family. The CBI has also been directed to provide safe house to victim and her family.
Sengar was convicted for abduction and rape of a minor girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao in 2017. Formerly associated with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Sengar was found guilty under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 5(c) of the POCSO Act by Delhi’s Tis Hazari court. The woman was abducted and raped by Sengar two years ago in 2017.
The incident came to light when the father of the girl died in police custody, sparking massive outrage against the state police. It was alleged that the father was implicated in a case after he demanded action against Sengar.
Following the uproar, four-time MLA Sengar was expelled by the BJP.
This year in August, the court had framed charges against Kuldeep Singh Sengar and Shashi Singh for criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, kidnapping or inducing a woman to compel for marriage, and rape. They were also booked under other relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. However, the court acquitted Shashi Singh for lack of evidence.
Initially, the proceedings started in a court in Lucknow but later it was transferred to Delhi on the direction of the Supreme Court. The apex court intervened after the vehicle of the rape survivor was hit by a truck that had no number plate, raising doubts whether the powerful Sengar family was behind the accident.
In the accident, two family members who were with the girl died. The family members alleged that the accident was a conspiracy to finish the family.