The Supreme Court has directed the Delhi government to file a report within two weeks on any threat perception to the mother and family of the 2017 Unnao rape victim. The move comes after the family sought reinstatement of CRPF security cover removed earlier.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Delhi government to inform it within two weeks if there is any threat perception to the mother and family members of the 2017 Unnao rape victim.
A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and PB Varale was hearing a plea filed by the victim’s mother, who claimed that her life and the safety of her immediate family members were under serious threat. The top court directed the Delhi government to file an affidavit on this issue within the next two weeks.
The mother has requested the apex court to reconsider its March 25 order, which had removed the CRPF security cover provided to her family and other witnesses in the case.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had refused to withdraw the CRPF security cover for the rape victim herself, stating that there was still a perception of threat.
However, the same security cover given to her family members and other witnesses was withdrawn after noting that a conviction had already taken place.
The court had said,
“We are of the opinion that protection granted by this court to the concerned persons at the relevant time may not be continued as the case has resulted in conviction who is awarded life imprisonment. However we make it clear that the CRPF cover for the victim shall continue till further orders of this court.”
The apex court also noted that the family members and other witnesses would have the liberty to approach local police if they felt any threat.
A plea seeking the withdrawal of CRPF security cover provided to the victim’s family was moved by the Centre following the court’s order in 2019. Expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar is serving a life term in jail for raping the minor girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao in 2017.
Earlier, on August 1, 2019, the Supreme Court had directed that the rape victim, her mother, other family members, and their lawyer be provided security by the CRPF.
All five cases registered in connection with the rape were transferred by the apex court from Lucknow to Delhi, with instructions to a designated special court to hold daily trials and complete them within 45 days.
The apex court also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide Rs 25 lakh interim compensation to the victim.
Sengar’s appeal challenging the trial court’s verdict in the Unnao rape case is currently pending in the Delhi High Court. He has sought the quashing of the trial court’s December 2019 judgment, which sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his life.
On March 13, 2020, Sengar was also sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in connection with the custodial death of the victim’s father. The father was arrested in a case under the Arms Act and died in custody on April 9, 2018.
The trial court, which did not hold the accused guilty of murder, awarded the maximum sentence for the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder to the convicts under Section 304 of IPC, holding that there was no intention to kill.
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