The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is set to immediately challenge the suspension of life sentence of Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case in the Supreme Court, news agency PTI reported on Wednesday evening, citing officials.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to former BJP MLA Sengar and suspended his sentence as his appeal against his conviction and sentence in the rape case remained pending.
Granting bail, the HC also imposed several conditions on Sengar ordering him to provide a personal bond ₹15 crore with three guarantees of similar amount.
The former BJP MLA was further warned not to come within five kilometers of the Unnao rape victim’s residence in Delhi or threaten her or her mother.
Sengar still remains in prison as he is also serving a 10-year sentence for the death of the rape survivor’s father.
Survivor calls bail decision ‘death’
When the Delhi HC granted bail to Sengar, the rape survivor condemned the decision, claiming that the former BJP MLA was released ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections.
She also said that the HC decision is tantamount to death.
“I heard the verdict and felt very bad. I wanted to kill myself then and there, but I stopped when I thought of my family. We have been wronged. Elections are coming up and he was released on bail so that his wife could participate in the elections,” the survivor said, according to ANI.
The survivor added, “If the convict gets bail in a case like this, how will the daughters of the country remain safe? For us, this decision is nothing less than ‘kaal’ (death).”
The survivor was a minor when she was abducted and raped by Kuldeep Singh Sengar in 2017 and also raised concerns about her family’s safety following the Delhi HC ruling.
“I have small children. At home there is an elderly, differently-abled mother-in-law and my husband. The biggest concern is the safety of my children,” she was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Ahead of the CBI’s statement on Wednesday night, the survivor also pledged to challenge the HC’s decision in the Supreme Court.
