A Delhi district and sessions court on Monday convicted MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar of raping a woman in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, LiveLaw reported. Sengar was expelled from the Bharatiya Janata Party in August. The woman was kidnapped and Sengar raped her when she was a minor in 2017.
The court acquitted the other accused in the case, Shashi Singh. The charges were framed 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 Act. Arguments on the quantum of Sengar’s sentence will be held on Tuesday.
District Judge Dharmesh Sharma had reserved his judgement on December 10 after hearing the arguments of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the MLA’s lawyer. The proceedings were held in camera. The judge heard the case on a daily basis from August 5 after it was transferred from a court in Lucknow to Delhi on the Supreme Court’s directions.
There are multiple cases in connection with the woman and the crimes allegedly committed against her.
In July, the complainant was involved in a car crash in which two aunts, one who was a crucial witness in the rape case, were killed. The complainant and her lawyer were also severely injured, and the family had alleged Sengar was behind the car crash. There is a case of conspiracy currently ongoing in this regard.
The woman’s father had also been arrested in an illegal arms case, in which he had allegedly been framed, in April 2018. He died in judicial custody a few days later and a murder case was filed against Sengar, his brother and nine others.
There is also a separate gangrape case involving the complainant and Sengar that is ongoing.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!