The Delhi High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by the Unnao rape survivor which sought an enhancement of the sentence awarded to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the case involving the custodial death of her father. Sengar is currently serving a 10-year rigorous imprisonment term for his role in the 2018 incident, a sentence the appellant argued was insufficient given the gravity of the conspiracy and the loss of life.
A division bench, while reviewing the trial court's previous judgment, observed that the existing sentence was appropriate and consistent with the evidence presented during the trial. The court noted that the 10-year term, alongside a substantial fine, adequately addressed the legal requirements for the charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and criminal conspiracy under which Sengar was convicted.
The case dates back to April 2018, when the survivor's father died in judicial custody shortly after being arrested following a dispute with Sengar's brother. Investigations by the CBI revealed a coordinated effort to frame the father in a false case and subject him to brutal physical assault, which ultimately led to his death. While the survivor sought to have the conviction upgraded to murder, the High Court maintained that the trial court's findings regarding the intent and nature of the injuries did not warrant a harsher classification.
Sengar is also separately serving a life sentence for the 2017 rape of the minor survivor, a conviction that remains unaffected by this specific ruling. His legal team has consistently maintained his innocence in both matters, filing their own appeals against the convictions.
The dismissal of the enhancement plea marks a significant stage in the long-standing legal battle surrounding the Unnao incidents. With this ruling, the High Court has affirmed the trial court's balancing of the evidence in the custodial death matter, signaling that the current 10-year term stands as the final judicial determination for this specific charge unless challenged in the Supreme Court.