The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to withdraw the CRPF security cover provided to the Unnao rape survivor on the grounds of the existence of threat perception in the matter.
The Bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice P B Varale, however, removed the CRPF security cover provided to the family members of the survivor and other witnesses in the case on the grounds that the conviction has already taken place and the accused has been awarded life imprisonment in the case.
The top court of the country granted liberty to the family members and other witnesses to approach the local police, in case they experienced any threat.
Appearing for the Union government, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati sought permission to withdraw the CRPF security cover
provided to the survivor’s family members and other witnesses.
Expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar is serving a life term in jail for raping the minor girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao in 2017.
On August 1, 2019, the top court of the country had directed the Centre to provide security by the CRPF to the survivor, her mother, other members of the family, and their lawyer.
The Apex Court had earlier transferred all five cases registered in connection with the rape incident from Lucknow to Delhi with directions to a designated special court to hold daily trials and complete the same within 45 days.
The top court of the country further directed the State of Uttar Pradesh to provide Rs 25 lakh interim compensation to the survivor.
In December 2019, the trial court sentenced Sengar to imprisonment for the remainder of his life. The accused challenged the trial court order in the Unnao rape case. His appeal is currently pending before the Delhi High Court.
On March 13, 2020, he was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in the custodial death case of the survivor’s father. The father was arrested in a case under the Arms Act and died in custody on April 9, 2018.
The trial court awarded the maximum sentence for the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder to the convicts under Section 304 of IPC on the grounds that there was no intention to kill.