The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the CBI on an appeal by expelled Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar challenging his conviction in the death of the Unnao rape victim’s father in 2018.
Justice Vibhu Bakhru asked the CBI to respond to the appeal while posting the case for further hearing on November 10.
On March 13 last, a special court here sentenced Sengar and six others to 10 years imprisonment in two cases linked to the death.
On March 4, Sengar was held guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
One of the cases related to the death of the victim’s father on April 9, 2018, while the other was for possession of illegal arms.
As alleged, the girl’s father was assaulted following an altercation with some of the accused on April 3, 2018. He was taken to the area police station and charges were framed for allegedly possessing an illegal firearm and sent to judicial custody, during which he died.
Sentenced to life imprisonment
On December 20, 2019, a court sentenced Sengar to life imprisonment for raping the girl in 2017.
Sengar, in his appeal filed through advocate Kanhaiya Singhal, claimed that the present case was an offshoot of a long-drawn political rivalry and deep-seated animosity existing between two political factions.
The plea claimed that Sengar and the co-accused persons, who are BJP supporters, and one of the primary witnesses and his associates who, Mr. Sengar claimed, owe their allegiance to the Samajwadi Party.
“It would not be preposterous to submit that in the instant case neither the justice was done nor seen to be done”, Sengar’s plea said, adding that the picture displayed by some of the prosecution witnesses and other primary witnesses “has no connection with the truth”.