Unnao Rape Survivor Demands Hanging of Kuldeep Sengar for Father's Justice

The Unnao rape survivor on Monday expressed relief after the Supreme Court refused to hear expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s plea seeking bail in the custodial death case of her father. Speaking after the court’s order, she said the decision had given her some satisfaction, even as her long struggle for justice continues.

Addressing reporters, the survivor said she was present in court when the verdict was delivered and welcomed the Supreme Court’s direction to the Delhi High Court to complete the hearing in the case within three months. She reiterated that the loss of her father could never be undone and alleged that members of Sengar’s family and police officials involved in the case were still not facing adequate accountability.

The survivor said she has spent the last eight years fighting to establish the truth of the assault against her. Drawing a stark comparison, she remarked that had she died like the 2012 Delhi gang rape victim, commonly referred to as Nirbhaya, her allegations would have been immediately believed. Instead, she said, surviving the assault meant enduring years of legal battles and public scrutiny to prove what happened.

Also Read: Supreme Court Rejects Kuldeep Sengar Bail in Unnao Custodial Death Conviction

Calling for the strictest punishment, the survivor urged the judiciary to deliver justice for her father, stating that Sengar should be given the death penalty so that her father’s soul could rest in peace. She said the prolonged legal process had compounded her trauma and that accountability for those responsible remained incomplete.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court declined to grant immediate relief to Sengar in the custodial death case but asked the Delhi High Court to hear and decide his appeal expeditiously, preferably within three months. The top court observed that since the appeal was already listed for hearing, the request for suspension of sentence and bail had become largely academic.

Sengar is serving life imprisonment in a separate rape case and was sentenced in March 2020 to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment in connection with the custodial death of the survivor’s father. His appeals in both cases are currently pending before the Delhi High Court, which has been directed to take them up as a priority.

Also Read: Supreme Court Rejects Kuldeep Sengar Bail in Unnao Custodial Death Conviction