Court to pronounce punishment on Friday in custodial death of Unnao rape victim's father

A special court here will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Friday in connection with the custodial death of Unnao rape victim's father involving Kuldeep Singh Sengar and others.

Special Judge Dharmesh Sharma, while hearing the arguments on Thursday, said: "It was on his (Kuldeep Singh Sengar) command that the incident happened."

"Everywhere he was present. No one can deny that. Everyone has a family. You should have thought about it during committing the crime. You have made a mockery of the system," observed the judge.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) counsel sought maximum punishment to convicts as an innocent man was beaten.

The rape victim's father died in judicial custody on April 9, 2018.

Police officers are more liable as it was their duty to stop it. They did it intentionally. They should be given maximum punishment, submitted the CBI counsel.

Expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar is also convicted in the case. This is his second conviction in the matter related to Unnao rape case.

His lawyer submitted that he has 35 years of political career and served the people. He didn't have any intention to commit this offence, Sengar's lawyer said.

Sengar's brother, who was also convicted in the case, cited several grounds and sought lesser punishment in the case.

The fast track court recently convicted seven accused including Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who is already convicted in the rape case, in the case and acquitted the other four accused.

The court convicted Kuldeep of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with the death of the victim's father.

CBI in its charge-sheet said all this while Kuldeep Sengar was in continuous touch with the district police superintendent, and the police station's in-charge Bhadauria.

CBI filed a charge-sheet in the case on July 13, 2018. Thereafter, the charges were framed against Sengar, his brother Atul, Makhi police station's in-charge Ashok Singh Bhadauria, Sub Inspector Kamta Prasad, Constable Amir Khan and six others in the case.

On August 1 last year, the Supreme Court transferred the case to Delhi from a trial court in Uttar Pradesh. In December 2019, Sengar was convicted and jailed for life for raping the woman in Unnao in 2017 when she was a minor.