kuldeep sengar BJP MLA
BJP expels rape accused Kuldeep Sengar.

In the Unnao gangrape case, Tis Hazari court on Monday, December 16, found expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The quantum of punishment will be decided on December 19.  Previously, the Unnao rape-accused Sengar was imprisoned in Tihar Jail for the gangrape committed in Unnao on 4 June 2017.  Shashi Singh, co-accused in the case has been acquited in the case. 

The following are the charges against the Unnao gangrape accused: 

  • IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy)
  • Section 363 (kidnapping)
  • Section 366 (kidnapping or inducing a woman to compel for marriage),
  • Section 376 (rape)
  • Other sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The Unnao Rape Case

Protests against Kathua and Unnao rape
People participate in a candlelight vigil as they protest against the rape of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua near Jammu, and a teenager in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh state, in Bengaluru, India, April 13, 2018Reuters

On 4 June 2017, the victim was kidnapped and raped by Sengar when she went to his Unnao home with a relative, to seek a job. The Unnao case made headlines when the victim and her mother attempted self-immolation outside the house of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, seeking justice on April 8, 2018.

Sengar's brother has also been accused of beating up the victim's father after tying him to a tree. Her father was then detained and later died in police custody. While her relatives succumbed to their injuries, the rape survivor's lawyer was admitted to a hospital in a critical condition. The incident happened on Sunday (July 28), when the victim was traveling to Raebareli and the truck was on its way to Lalganj in Uttar Pradesh.

The apex court decided to transfer all cases linked to the rape of the teenager by a BJP lawmaker, from Lucknow to Delhi, in a major embarrassment to the UP government. Kuldeep Sengar is in jail for a year over the alleged rape in 2017. The four-time legislator represented Bangermau in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

Previously, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finally expelled MLA Kuldeep Sengar, following massive outrage. The development came days after the Unnao rape victim was severely injured after the car in which she was traveling collided with a truck. The victim was traveling in the car along with her relatives and lawyer Mahendra Singh.