The counsel for Unnao rape complainant told a Delhi court on Saturday that the Central Bureau of Investigation did not deliberately name Uttar Pradesh MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his brother in the murder case of the complainant’s father, PTI reported. The woman’s father died in judicial custody on April 9, 2018.

District and Sessions Judge Dharmesh Sharma held a special hearing on a court holiday with the Delhi High Court’s permission to comply with the Supreme Court’s 45-day deadline to conclude the trial.

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Senior Public Prosecutor Ashok Bhartendu, appearing for the CBI, denied the allegations, and said the investigation officer collected the evidence in the case in all fairness and there was no “mala fide intention” on his part.

The court reserved its order for August 13 in the case of alleged assault and framing of the complainant’s father in an Arms Act case in 2018.

The CBI had on Wednesday said the legislator, along with eight others, including three state police officials, framed the woman’s father in an Arms Act case. However, Sengar and his brother have not been named as accused by the CBI in the murder case.

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The agency said that the chargesheet had been filed in the murder case and the investigation in the case was underway.

“Till now, the CBI did not find anything against the MLA to be a common accused,” Bhartendu said. “If, during the trial, the agency finds any evidence against the duo, a supplementary chargesheet will be filed.”

“The father was allegedly beaten up badly and due to his injuries, he died in judicial custody,” Advocate Dharmendra Mishra said. “The IO deliberately filed two different chargesheets – one in the case of assaulting and framing of false charges and the other in the murder case.”

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“The unnatural death of the father was due to the fact that he was badly beaten up and was not given proper medical care in custody,” the woman’s counsel alleged. “Hence, the role of the Sengars should be investigated.”

On Friday, the court had framed charges against Uttar Pradesh MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his accomplice Shashi Singh. Sengar is accused of raping the teenager, while Singh allegedly kidnapped her.

Sengar has been in jail since April 2018 in connection with the rape case. He was expelled from the BJP only on August 1. The CBI had booked Sengar, nine others and other unidentified persons for murder.