Won’t rest until he is hanged: Unnao rape survivor after SC’s order on Sengar’s life sentence

“I will not rest until he is hanged,” said the Unnao rape survivor on Monday as she expressed satisfaction over the Supereme Court staying the Delhi High Court order suspending the convict Kuldeep Sengar’s life sentence.

Hearing a plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had challenged the high court’s decision, the apex court also issued a notice to Sengar, directing him to file his response.

“I am very happy with this decision. I have got justice from the Supreme Court. I have been raising my voice for justice from the very beginning,” the survivor told PTI over phone from Delhi.

“I do not make any allegations against any court. I have faith in all courts, but the Supreme Court has given me justice and will continue to do so,” she said.

She further said, “I will not rest until he is hanged. I will keep fighting. Only then will my family and I get justice. We receive threats even today.”.

Family members also expressed relief over the intervention by the Supreme Court, saying their faith in the justice system had been restored.

The survivor’s sister said she had complete faith that the court would ensure the accused is not released.

“He is a monster. First, he raped my sister and later destroyed the entire family. I am satisfied today. His bail should remain rejected,” she said, adding that the family would continue to pursue the case.

The survivor’s mother thanked the apex court for the relief and told reporters that those who killed her husband should receive the death sentence.

Reacting to the order the activist Yogita Bhayana said the order had wider implications. “This is not a fight of one victim alone, but of all girls. The Supreme Court itself noted that while stays are not usually granted, this case stands on a different footing,” she said.

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Delhi High Court order that had suspended Sengar’s life sentence and granted him bail in the 2017 Unnao rape case.

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A vacation bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, and Justices J K Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih observed that the matter required consideration. It said Sengar shall not be released from custody following the high court’s December 23 order.

On December 23, the Delhi High Court suspended the jail term of Sengar, a former legislator from Unnao who was serving life imprisonment in the case, saying he had already served seven years and five months in prison.

His sentence was suspended by the high court till the pendency of his appeal challenging his conviction and sentence in the rape case. He has challenged a December 2019 trial court verdict in the case.

The expelled BJP leader will, however, remain in jail since he is also serving 10 years’ imprisonment in the custodial death case of the victim’s father and has not been granted bail in that case.

The rape case and other connected cases were transferred to Delhi from a trial court in Uttar Pradesh on the directions of the Supreme Court on August 1, 2019.