Rape case: Sengar gets bail to attend daughter’s wedding

One-liner: The Delhi HC on Monday granted interim bail to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who is serving life term for raping a minor girl in UP’s Unnao in 2017, to enable him to attend the wedding of his daughter.

Sentence suspended: A bench suspended the sentence from Jan 27 to Feb 10 and asked Sengar to report to the SHO concerned on a daily basis during his release period and furnish two sureties of ₹1L each.

Wedding rituals: Sengar, represented by senior advocates N Hariharan and P K Dubey, informed the court that wedding rituals and ceremonies would be held in Gorakhpur and Lucknow and being the only male family member, he has to make arrangements for the wedding on Feb 8.

• Counsel for the CBI said that a status report has been filed by the agency and it was found that two halls have been booked for the wedding ceremonies

Appeal pending: Sengar’s appeal challenging the trial court’s verdict in the Unnao rape case is already pending in the HC.

Seeks quashing of judgment: He has sought quashing of the Dec 16, 2019, judgment of the trial court which convicted him. Sengar has also sought setting aside the Dec 20, 2019, order sentencing him to imprisonment for the remainder of his life.

Kidnapped and raped: The girl was kidnapped and raped by Sengar in 2017 when she was a minor.

Trial on day-to-day basis: The trial, which started on Aug 5, 2019, after it was transferred from Unnao to Delhi on the SC’s directions, was carried out on a day-to-day basis.

Cases transferred: The SC, taking cognisance of the rape survivor’s letter written to the then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, had on Aug 1, 2019, transferred all five cases registered in connection with the Unnao rape incident from a Lucknow court to the court in Delhi with directions to hold the trial on a daily basis and complete it within 45 days.