On 20 December, the expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was sentenced to life imprisonment at Tis Hazari District Court concerning the Unnao rape case. He was imposed an exemplary fine of Rs 25 Lakh, to be paid within a month and an additional Rs 10 Lakh to the mother of the minor girl.
He was found guilty on 16 December for the rape and murder of a minor girl in Unnao. Subsequently, after the sentence was passed, Sengar broke down in front of his daughter and sister.
The bench headed by the District Judge Dharmesh Sharma held that “This court does not find any mitigating circumstance. Kuldeep Sengar was a public servant and betrayed people’s faith.” The bench also stated that Sengar intimidated the minor girl.
“The convict Kuldeep Singh Sengar is hereby sentenced to undergo imprisonment for life, which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of his natural biological life in terms of Section 376 (2) Indian Penal Code,” the court said.
The court further asserted that in any case of assistance, the CBI or the victim’s family members can approach the member secretary, Delhi Legal Services Authority or the District Witness protection Committee, Delhi for appropriate proceedings.
The recent amendments made to the POCSO Act, which provides the death penalty, did not come into effect as the incident took place in 2017 i.e. before the amendment of the Act.
Sengar, raped a 17-year-old minor girl on 4 June 2017 in Unnao, when the girl approached him seeking assistance for employment. In a separate case, the same woman was allegedly gang-raped later by three other persons on June 11, 2017, in Unnao. The trial is yet to commence in that case. On 28 July 2019, the victim’s car was rammed by a truck while on their way to Rae Bareli jail, leading to the death of two of the victim’s aunts.
Subsequently, the victim was burnt alive on 5 December while she was on her way to Rai Bareli to testify against the criminals in a local court. She later succumbed to her injuries on 6 December.
