Delhi court to pronounce verdict on former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in Unnao rape case on December 16

A Delhi Court on Tuesday reserved its judgment in the Unnao rape case in which expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar is the main accused. The court will pronounce its verdict in the case on December 16.

The woman was allegedly raped by Sengar in 2017 when she was a minor. She fought for life after a truck rammed into the car she was travelling in with some family members and her lawyer in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli district in July 2019. Two of her aunts died in the accident. She was brought to the AIIMS for better care.

The rape survivor was set ablaze on December 5 by five men near her village in Uttar Pradesh when she was on her way to the court. The assailants threw kerosene on her and set her on fire by two men who are accused of raping her in March 2019 and their three friends. She had suffered over 90 per cent burn injuries and succumbed to the burns at 11:40 pm at Safdarjung Hospital in the national capital on December 6. According to sources, the 23-year-old woman had spoken to her brother and told him that the "accused should not be let off". She had also asked him if she would survive.

Her last rites were conducted by her family at her native village amidst heavy security on December 8, after receiving assurance from the administration that all their demands will be met. She was laid to rest in the fields belonging to her family, where the mausoleum (mazaar) of her grandparents is situated. A large number of local residents and officials were present.

Cabinet ministers in the Uttar Pradesh government Swami Prasad Maurya and Kamal Rani Varun also arrived in Unnao to meet the bereaved family and attend the last rites of the deceased. "We are committed to punishing the culprits and we, including the Chief Minister, are standing in solidarity with the bereaved family. We will do anything to punish the culprits, a fast track court has been set up to nail them," Maurya was quoted by news agency ANI as saying. Leaders of the Samajwadi Party were also present in the village.