The Delhi High Court’s decision to suspend the jail term of rape accused Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a former BJP leader, has been termed as travesty of justice by the survivor, who said she will move the Supreme Court against it.
“If the convict gets bail in cases like this, how will the country’s daughters remain safe? For us, this decision is no less than ‘kaal’ (death),” she said.
“Those with money win, those without money lose,” lamented the girl, who was a minor when she was kidnapped and raped by Sengar in 2017.
To make matters worse, security for her family members, lawyers and witnesses had already been withdrawn, she said, making the court’s decision more fear-invoking.
The HC on Tuesday suspended the sentence of Sengar, who is serving life imprisonment in the case, and ordered his release on bail pending the disposal of his appeal against his conviction by a trial court in December 2019.
The Unnao rape case and other connected cases were transferred from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi on the directions of the Supreme Court in August 2019.
In its order, the high court directed that Sengar shall not come within a 5-km radius of the victim’s residence and shall not threaten the survivor or her mother. It also said violation of the conditions would automatically lead to cancellation of bail.
Sengar, however, will remain in jail since he is also serving 10 years’ imprisonment in the custodial death case of the victim’s father and has not been granted bail in that case.
The survivor and her mother will stage a protest near Mandi House against the verdict.
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