File Picture : ANi/X
The Central Bureau of Investigation will immediately challenge the suspension of life sentence and bail to former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case in the Supreme Court, officials said .
According to media reports, The decision was taken after studying the orders of a division bench of the Delhi High Court in the Unnao rape case of 2017, a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
It was decided to file an SLP before the Supreme Court at the earliest against the orders of the high court, which granted bail to Sengar after suspending his life sentence, the CBI spokesperson said.
Sengar, however, will remain in jail as he is also serving a 10-year term for the custodial death of the rape survivor’s father.
Sengar had filed an appeal against his life sentence, which was vehemently opposed by the CBI and the family of the victim before the high court.
The CBI filed timely replies and written arguments in this matter. The family of the victim has also opposed the petition, citing safety and threats. The CBI will immediately challenge this order, the statement said.
On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court suspended the jail term of expelled BJP leader Sengar, who was serving life imprisonment in the 2017 Unnao rape case, saying he has already served seven years and five months in prison.
The rape survivor and her mother sat in protest against the order, but were forcefully taken away by the Delhi Police.
The issue soon snowballed into a massive political slugfest with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi questioning the move of the police to use force against the mother-daughter.
“Is such treatment of a gang-rape survivor appropriate? Is it her ‘fault’ that she gathered courage to raise her voice for justice?”
