Unnao victim thanks SC for staying Sengar's bail, fears for husband

The Unnao rape victim thanked the Supreme Court for staying the Delhi HC's order to suspend Kuldeep Sengar's life sentence. She called it a 'big relief' but feared for her husband's life, saying his video is being shared to get him killed.

Unnao rape case victim on Monday thanked the Supreme Court for staying Delhi High Court's verdict, which ordered suspension of accused Kuldeep Singh Sengar's life sentence in the matter. She termed the apex court's decision as a "big relief" to her, adding that her husband's video is being shared publicly from his social media account so that he can be identified and killed. She mentioned that her husband is scared following the development, noting that no action has been taken on the matter. "I thank the Supreme Court for providing relief to me. My video is being taken from my husband's social media account and being shared publicly so that he can be identified and killed... My husband is scared... No action is being taken against that," she told ANI.

Supreme Court Stays Sentence Suspension

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Delhi High Court's order suspending the life sentence of expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case of a minor. The Supreme Court's three-judge vacation bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.G. Masih, was hearing the CBI's plea challenging the Delhi High Court's December 23 order, which had suspended Sengar's life sentence pending appeal and granted him bail.

Court Cites Conviction in Another Case

Staying the High Court's order, the apex court noted that Sengar remains in custody in another case. "We are informed that the convict is also convicted and sentenced under Section 304 (murder) of the IPC and that he is still in custody in that case. Considering such peculiar circumstances, we stay the operation of the impugned order. The respondent shall not be released," the bench observed.

The Supreme Court also issued notice to Sengar, seeking his response to the CBI's plea within two weeks.

Sengar, a former Uttar Pradesh MLA, was convicted in December 2019 in the Unnao rape case and sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 25 lakh. Although he was granted bail by the High Court in the rape case, he continued to remain in jail as he is serving a 10-year sentence in a separate CBI case related to murder. (ANI)

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