NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Delhi government to inform it within two weeks if there is any threat perception to the mother and other family members of the 2017 Unnao rape victim. The top court passed the order after hearing a plea filed by the victim’s mother, alleging grave threats to her life and liberty and that of her immediate family.
A two-judge bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and PB Varale asked the government to file an affidavit within two weeks clearly stating whether there are any threats to the family.
The mother had sought reconsideration of the March 25 order that removed the CRPF security cover provided to her family and other witnesses. The SC had earlier allowed family members to approach local police if they still felt threatened.
The Union of India, in its petition, claimed that after assessing the security situation, no CRPF cover was required. Ruchira Goel, representing the UP government, stated that the victim and her family currently reside in Delhi. The Centre suggested that security cover, if needed, may be provided by either the Delhi or UP police.
The trial court in Delhi had convicted former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in December 2019 for kidnapping and raping the minor girl in 2017, sentencing him to life imprisonment and imposing a fine of `25 lakh. Sengar had challenged the conviction and sentence, and the trial was transferred to Delhi by the Supreme Court in August 2019 to ensure speedy completion.
The SC had earlier provided CRPF protection to the victim, her mother, other family members, and their lawyer, citing threat perception.