Unnao rape case: Delhi court to slap POCSO against Kuldeep Singh Sengar; MLA also faces rape, criminal conspiracy charges

A Delhi court has directed for charges to be framed against expelled MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case that was brought to the forefront last month when the survivor met with an accident in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli. Reportedly, the Tis Hazari court has found prima facie evidence to frame charges of rape, kidnapping, criminal conspiracy against Sengar. He will also be charged under some sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, even as the defence had argued in the court that the survivor had been above 18 years of age at the time of the incident. However, the judge reportedly dismissed the arguments and directed that the Unnao MLA be charged under POCSO. Similar charges will be filed against Sengar’s aide Shashi Singh, CNN-News18 reported. In Supreme Court in July directed the case, handled by the CBI, to be moved to Delhi from Uttar Pradesh. On Thursday, the CBI made submissions in the case of the Unnao rape survivor’s father’s death. The investigative agency told the court that Sengar and his brother assaulted the father of the rape case survivor and framed him in an Arms Act case, in collusion with three state police officials and five others.

#NewsAlert – Delhi’s Tiz Hazari Court finds prima facie grounds to frame charges against Kuldeep Singh Sengar and Shashi Singh. Sengar to be charged under POCSO Act. | #HopeForUnnaoSurvivor @mitrasouvik123 with details. pic.twitter.com/u61zBYFOJ8

— News18 (@CNNnews18) August 9, 2019

The agency submitted to District Judge Dharmesh Sharma that Sengar and his “accomplices” lodged an FIR accusing her father of possessing a country-made pistol and four live cartridges. The FIR also accused him of verbally abusing the MLA’s brother Atul Singh Sengar and others involved in the case. CBI counsel Ashok Bhartendu told the court that the three police officials, accused in the case of assaulting the survivor’s father, included the then-Makhi police station’s in-charge Ashok Singh Bhadauria, Sub Inspector Kamta Prasad and Constable Amir Khan. While Bhadauria and Prasad were out on bail, Amir, who was not arrested in the case, was granted the relief from the arrest by the court on Thursday. The charges, however, were denied by the accused persons, which also included Shailendra Singh, Vineet Mishra, Birendra Singh, Shashi Pratap Singh and Ram Sharan Singh. According to the CBI, the incident took place on 3 April, 2018 following an altercation between the survivor’s father and Shashi Pratap Singh. The charge sheet filed on 13 July, 2018, said that the father and his co-worker were returning to their village, Makhi, when they asked Shashi Pratap Singh to give them a lift up to the village in their vehicle. Singh, however, denied them a ride, triggering an altercation among them. This prompted Singh to call up his associates, following which MLA’s brother Atul reached the spot along with others and beat up the survivor’s father and his co-workers. The survivor’s father was subsequently taken to the police station by them and an FIR was lodged against him and he was arrested. The chargesheet said all this while, Sengar was in touch with the district police superintendent, police station’s in-charge Bhadauria. Later he also talked to the doctor, who examined her father. “MLA (Kuldeep) has every reason and authority by virtue of his being an MLA to falsely implicate the (survivor’s) father in the case of illegal fire-arms possession,” the CBI said. The rape survivor’s father died in judicial custody on 9 April, 2018. The counsel for the rape survivor and her family, advocates Dharmendra Mishra and Poonam Kaushik, told the court that charge should also be framed against the chief medical officer of Unnao’s district hospital. The court adjourned the case for next hearing on 10 August. With inputs from agencies