HC to record Unnao rape survivor's statement in AIIMS

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Delhi High Court to decide on the trial court judge's request to conduct special proceedings on the Unnao rape case at the capital's All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), where the 2017 rape survivor and her lawyer are admitted, for recording their statement.

A bench headed by Justice Deepak Gupta granted liberty to the Delhi High Court to decide at the earliest on the trial court judge's plea to hold a special court in the hospital to examine the victim.

The Supreme Court also granted two more weeks to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conclude the probe in the Unnao rape survivor accident case. The bench also said that the trial court judge can approach the apex court for an extension of the period for concluding the trial as there is no bar on continuing the trial beyond 45 days.

On August 1, the Supreme Court shifted the five cases connected with the Unnao rape incident to Delhi, assigned a special judge to conduct the day-to-day trial and ordered that the trial should be completed within 45 days. The court had taken suo moto cognizance of a letter written by the victim's family alleging threats from BJP legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar's aides.

On July 28, the car in which the rape survivor, her lawyer and two aunts were travelling was hit by a speeding truck in Rae Bareli. Both her aunts were killed in the accident, while the rape survivor and her lawyer were critically injured.

Brought to AIIMS last month, both the rape survivor and her lawyer are on advanced life support systems and being treated by a multidisciplinary team from the critical care, orthopaedics, trauma surgery and pulmonary medicine departments.