Ex-BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar found guilty of rape

New Delhi: The expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar has been found guilty by the court in connection to the rape of a minor in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. The verdict was pronounced this afternoon in Delhi Court.

The Case:

The victim was raped by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in 2017. At the time, she was a minor and had battled for her life after a truck rammed into the car she was travelling in with some family members and her lawyer in Rae Bareli district of Uttar Pradesh on July 28. Two of her aunts died in the road accident. The victim was air-lifted to AIIMS for better treatment from a hospital in Lucknow.

After being discharged from the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi in September this year, the victim along with her family had been put under Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security as per the directions of the apex court. The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Thursday sought seven days from a city court for providing accommodation to the victim's family. The rape survivor's family had earlier told the court that they wanted to reside in the national capital apprehending threat in Uttar Pradesh, their native state.

The court, on August 9 framed charges against the MLA under Sections 120 b (criminal conspiracy), 363 (kidnapping), 366 (kidnapping or inducing a woman to compel for marriage), 376 (rape) and other relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. In October this year, former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and driver Ashish Kumar Pal had been charged by the CBI along with other accused. Driver Ashish Kumar Pal was charged under 304-A, 338 and 279 of IPC. The charge sheet was filed in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.