Unnao rape survivor’s fight continues: CBI to move Supreme Court against Kuldeep Sengar’s relief

The decision was taken after the central probe agency examined the High Court order, which was delivered by a division bench and has triggered widespread controversy.

Sengar had moved the Delhi High Court challenging the life imprisonment awarded by a trial court in December 2019.

Despite the bail, the former BJP leader will remain behind the bars as he is serving a separate 10-year jail term for the custodial death of the rape survivor's father.

Amid growing political fallout, the Unnao rape survivor and her mother met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday evening, hours after the elderly woman was allegedly manhandled by Central paramilitary personnel during a protest against the High Court’s relief to Sengar.

The meeting took place at 10 Janpath, the residence of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was also present. Rahul Gandhi had returned from a visit to Germany a day earlier. The discussion reportedly lasted over an hour, NDTV said, quoting sources.

According to reports, Gandhi assured the survivor and her family that the matter would be escalated and that the Congress would extend all possible assistance to help them seek justice.

The survivor and her mother have been protesting against the Delhi High Court’s decision granting interim relief to Sengar, who has challenged his conviction in the 2017 rape case. The order allows him to remain out of jail until the court decides on his appeal.

The High Court’s decision has sparked a major political row, with the Opposition sharply criticising the Centre and raising concerns over the treatment meted out to the survivor.

Reacting to the order, the survivor described it as “completely shocking” and said years of struggle had ended in deep disappointment.

“We have gone so many years back and forth with the judiciary and this is what the outcome is? We only want one thing — justice. We will appeal to the Supreme Court,” she said.

After meeting Rahul Gandhi, the survivor reiterated that she has full faith in the Supreme Court and also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing her desire to meet him.

During the meeting, the family reportedly placed three demands before Gandhi — legal support from a senior lawyer to fight the case in the Supreme Court, relocation to a Congress-ruled state citing safety concerns, and employment for the survivor’s husband. As per reports, Gandhi agreed to assist on all three fronts.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi took to X to question the treatment of the survivor, asking whether she was being punished for raising her voice against injustice.

“Is such treatment of a gang rape victim justified?” he wrote in Hindi. “Bail for rapists and treating survivors like criminals — what kind of justice is this? With such inhuman incidents, we are not only becoming a dead economy, but also a dead society.”

The latest controversy follows disturbing visuals that surfaced on Wednesday morning, showing the survivor and her mother being detained by CRPF personnel during protests near India Gate.

The family had planned to address the media at Mandi House, but the bus transporting them did not stop there. The CRPF later said permission to protest had not been granted.

As the bus passed Mandi House, the elderly woman attempted to get down and was allegedly asked to jump off the moving vehicle. Videos showed her standing at the door as personnel pushed her repeatedly before she jumped off. The bus then drove away with her daughter still inside.

The incident has intensified outrage over both the High Court’s order and the handling of the survivor and her family, adding fresh pressure on the Centre and law enforcement agencies.