NEW DELHI: With the Unnao rape survivor battling for life in a hospital after a horrible car crash, and the finger of suspicion for the accident pointing towards jailed accused local MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the transfer of all five cases connected to the victim from Uttar Pradesh to a Delhi court.
While setting a deadline of 45 days for the Delhi court to complete the trial of the main case with day-to-day hearing, the Supreme Court also directed the UP government to provide `25 lakh to the rape survivor as interim compensation. The main case is about the rape of the Unnao woman when she was a minor in 2017, allegedly by Sengar.
Besides, the court directed the CBI to wrap up its probe into the car crash within seven days, though it can seek a week more if the circumstances are indeed exceptional. The accident killed the victim’s two aunts and left her lawyer critically injured.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said, “The victim is presently in ICU and on a ventilator in King George’s Medical University, Lucknow. She has been certified by the doctors as fit for being airlifted for more advanced medical treatment, though according to the doctors, it is not required as the hospital is fully equipped to treat the patient. We request the victim’s counsel to ascertain the views of the family and inform the court.”
The bench said it was passing an exparte order without the representation of the accused persons to ensure expeditious investigation and trial in view the peculiar facts and circumstances of the cases.
The court directed that the survivor, her mother and other members of her family be provided CRPF security cover and an officer of the level of commandant will file a compliance report.
On Friday, the court will also hear a plea by Mahesh Singh, the survivor’s uncle who has been lodged in a jail in Rae Bareli, to be shifted to a jail in Delhi. Singh’s wife, too, died in the car crash.
The CBI has so far booked 10 people for murder, including Sengar, for their suspected role in the car crash.
Delhi trial judge named
Tis Hazari (West) District Judge Dharmesh Sharma will hold a trial in the five criminal cases relating to the Unnao rape case, the SC said
CBI cross with police
The CBI team probing the car crash is not getting support from the UP Police. The team was appalled that forensic test of the truck involved in the crash was not done for 3 days
BJP finally expels MLA Sengar
The BJP on Thursday expelled its jailed Unnao MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar. The party’s working president J P Nadda is understood to have conveyed the decision to UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh
Priyanka barb on ‘empowering criminal’
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra thanked the SC for being proactive and poked the BJP, saying “BJP finally acknowledges having empowered a criminal and takes some action”.