New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear the appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the Delhi High Court's order suspending the life sentence and granting bail to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case on Monday (December 29).
A three-judge vacation bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will take up the CBI’s plea. In its petition, the CBI contended that the High Court's decision diluted the protective framework of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and was legally unsustainable given the gravity of the offence and the settled principles governing suspension of life sentences, according to Live Law.
Survivor Questions CBI's Intent
Meanwhile, the Unnao rape survivor and her mother on Saturday expressed deep distrust in the CBI, even as the agency approached the top court challenging the bail granted to the former Uttar Pradesh MLA.
Questioning the agency’s intent, the survivor’s mother said trust in the CBI would be possible only if its officials spoke to the family directly. She alleged that the conduct of the investigation raised serious doubts. Recalling a court proceeding, she claimed that the investigating officer was seen speaking to Sengar’s daughter inside the courtroom. When asked whether he knew the survivor, the officer reportedly replied in open court that he did not know her.
The survivor accused the CBI of not standing firmly with her legal team at a crucial stage of the case. She said that had the agency supported their lawyer decisively, the outcome would have been different. According to her, the present situation would not have arisen if the CBI had acted with commitment at the right time.
Delhi HC Grants Bail & Suspends Sentence
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Sengar, suspending his sentence while his appeal is pending. However, Sengar will continue to remain in jail for a separate conviction relating to the death of the rape survivor’s father.
The HC suspended Sengar's jail term, noting that he has already served seven years and five months in prison. Sengar was convicted by a trial court in 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a minor in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district.
