New Delhi. The 2017 Unnao rape case victim, her family and activists protested at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Sunday against the suspension of the life sentence of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar by the Delhi High Court. Demanding strict accountability from the authorities, the victim, who was present during the protest, said that her family should be provided more security.
She said, “I am requesting the Chief Minister to give us security. These people are powerful. Please save your daughter. My husband was fired from his job. We are unemployed, where will we go?” The protesters raised slogans against the alleged undue leniency shown towards the convict and argued that the action taken so far has fallen short of public expectations.
The victim’s mother said that she has faith in the Supreme Court and hopes that justice will be provided in this case. “We were beaten up, our relatives were beaten up, fake cases were registered against our relatives. I request the government not to release him (Sengar),” she said. On December 23, the Delhi High Court had suspended Sengar’s jail sentence pending his appeal and granted him conditional bail.
The court had said that he had served seven years and five months in jail. However, he will remain in jail as he is also serving a 10-year sentence in the custodial death of the victim’s father and has not been granted bail in that case. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday the CBI’s petition challenging the Delhi High Court decision.
According to the cause list, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice J.K. A three-judge vacation bench comprising Justice Maheshwari and Justice Augustine George Masih is likely to hear the case. Protesters from the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) and the All India Students’ Association (AISA) also joined the protest on Sunday, claiming that the case has exposed the influence of political power in criminal cases.
He warned that any lack of accountability would undermine confidence in the justice system. “The Supreme Court should heed the echo of Jantar Mantar that Kuldeep Singh Sengar deserves to remain in jail and should ensure safety and justice for the victim and her family,” AISA said in a statement.
A police source said a woman was removed from the protest site as she tried to enter the area carrying a placard in support of Sengar. The source said it was removed peacefully and no clashes were reported during the protests. “The victim and her mother were sitting at the protest site. But she had some health issues. She was immediately provided medical aid. The team is checking her health condition,” the source said.
Sengar (59) has been a four-time MLA from Unnao region. He has contested elections on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) tickets. He had joined BJP in 2017 and won the election from Bangarmau on the party ticket. Meanwhile, Sengar’s daughter has urged the people of Unnao to avoid any kind of protests and said that her family has full faith in the judicial process.
Aishwarya Sengar, in a post on
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