Unnao rape case: HC shortens Sengar's bail period

One-liner: The Delhi HC on Friday modified its order granting interim bail to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar, serving a life term for raping a minor in UP's Unnao in 2017.

Cout direction: The court asked him to surrender after his daughter's tilak ceremony and then be released again before her marriage. It had earlier granted interim bail to Sengar for two weeks.

Surrender order: A bench, which had on Jan 16 granted interim bail to Sengar from Jan 27 to Feb 10 on account of his daughter's marriage, directed that the politician shall surrender before jail authorities on Feb 1 as the tilak ceremony is scheduled on Jan 30. 

• It said Sengar shall be again released from jail on Feb 6 and surrender on Feb 10 as the wedding is fixed for Feb 8

Victim opposes bail to Sengar: The victim, who was present in the court, said, "If Kuldeep Sengar is granted bail, I and the witnesses will be in danger. All the govt officials there are his appointees. I request not to release him or else he can get me killed."

Threat perception: Advocate Mehmood Pracha, representing the girl, said the threat perception was also there even when Sengar was in custody and while ordinary people are released from jail in the evening, the politician has been released early in the morning which shows his clout.

Victim's plea opposed: Senior advocate Pramod Dubey, appearing for Sengar, opposed the victim's plea saying the court has imposed sufficient conditions on the leader while granting him the relief and the court may ask him to stay in his house instead of reducing the period.

To attend daughter's wedding: Sengar has been granted interim bail to attend his daughter's marriage in the rape case as well as in the case in which he is serving 10 years imprisonment for the death of the Unnao rape victim's father in custody.

• The victim has sought recall of the Jan 16 order by which Sengar was granted interim bail in the rape case

CBI statement: The CBI, which had earlier verified the factum of the marriage of Sengar's daughter, told the court in the latest status report that it may reconsider and recall its interim bail order.

Appeal pending: Sengar's appeal challenging the trial court's verdict in the Unnao rape case is pending in the HC. He has sought quashing of the Dec 2019 judgment of the trial court which sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his life. The girl was kidnapped and raped by Sengar in 2017 when she was a minor.

Imprisonment: On March 13, 2020, Sengar was sentenced to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment, besides the imposition of a fine of ₹10L, in the case of the death of the rape victim's father in custody. The court had also awarded a 10-year jail term to Sengar's brother Atul Singh Sengar and five others.

Father of rape victim dies in custody: The father of the rape victim was arrested at the behest of Sengar in a case under the Arms Act and died in custody on April 9, 2018.