SC gives CBI 2 more weeks to complete probe in accident case involving Unnao rape survivor

The Supreme Court on Monday gave the CBI two more weeks to complete its probe into an accident in which the Unnao rape survivor and her lawyer were critically inured.

A bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose extended the time for completing the probe after the CBI moved an application seeking four more weeks on the ground that the statements of the rape survivor and her lawyer have not been recorded so far.

The bench also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay Rs five lakh to the lawyer, who is critical.

The court had on August 2 directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to complete the investigation within seven days, adding that the agency could avail additional seven days in exceptional circumstances, but in no case the time frame would be extended beyond a fortnight.

The top court had earlier ordered transfer of all the five related cases in the matter to Delhi but later modified its order putting in abeyance shifting of the accident case till the probe was completed.

The modification was done stating that due to shifting of the case, the local court was facing technical hurdle in passing orders of remand for the accused who are being arrested in course of the probe.

The court had said the order transferring the accident case "shall remain in abeyance for the period during which the said case remains under investigation, which we have stipulated in the order dated August 1, 2019, to be completed in a maximum period of 15 days, preferably within seven days. The order dated August 1, 2019, is modified accordingly".

The woman, allegedly raped by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in 2017 when she was a minor, is battling for life after a truck rammed into the car she was travelling in with some family members and her lawyer. Two of her aunts died in the accident recently.

She was airlifted from a hospital in Lucknow and brought to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for better care as she continued to be critical.