Unnao rape case: Expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar gets life imprisonment
Expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar was convicted under POCSO Act for raping a minor in 2017. The Delhi court pronounced a Rs 25 lakh fine, Rs 10 lakh compensation to the victim and a life term in prison.
FollowNew Delhi: A Delhi court pronounced life imprisonment for expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar who was convicted for raping a minor in Unnao.
Additional Sessions Judge, Dharmesh Sharma has directed Sengar to pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the victim and Rs 15 lakh to the prosecution.
CBI has been directed to provide necessary protection to the victim and family based on threat perception.
The CBI had urged the court to award maximum punishment prescribed under the law and had sought life imprisonment for expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, saying it was a fight for justice of an individual against the system.
The counsel for the CBI and the complainant sought maximum punishment for Sengar, saying the court must consider the "cry of the girls in heinous crimes".
However, Sengar's lawyers had sought minimum punishment from the court, saying that Sengar was in public life for decades, and had done lots of welfare work for the upliftment of the people and had no past criminal record.
"He had a political career without any blemish. Since 2002-till date he has been elected repeatedly as a member of the legislative assembly by the public," advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir, appearing for Sengar, said, adding that the convict did not have a "depraved mentality".
On December 16 (Monday), expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar was convicted by Delhi's Tis Hazari Court for abducting and raping a minor in Unnao. Tis Hazari District Judge Dharmesh Sharma observed in the order that, "the CBI was able to prove the guilt of Kuldeep Singh Sengar beyond a reasonable doubt."
He was convicted under 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with Section 5 and 6 of POCSO. On December 17 (Tuesday), District Judge Dharmesh Sharma had adjourned the hearing in the case till Friday (December 20).
Sengar, a four-time BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh's Bangarmau, had raped the girl at his residence in Unnao in June 2017, where she had gone seeking a job. He was arrested last year and is currently lodged in Tihar jail. The rape survivor was a minor when she was assaulted.
