New Delhi [India], December 26 : Women's rights activist Yogita Bhayana strongly criticised the Delhi High Court's decision to grant conditional bail to former Uttar Pradesh MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case, calling it a "big failure" and raising serious questions over the handling of the prosecution by the CBI.
Speaking to ANI, Bhayana said, "What mistakes did the CBI make in this case? How did we lose it, and what went wrong? These matters need to be looked into, as I have doubts. It was an open-and-shut case, yet a convict has come out of it; this is a big failure."
A division bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar granted Sengar bail on the condition that he furnishes a bail bond of Rs 15 lakh. A Delhi CBI court convicted Sengar of raping a minor and sentenced serving a life sentence. His appeal against the conviction is currently pending before the Delhi High Court.
Despite the relief in the rape case, Sengar will continue to remain in custody as he has not yet been granted bail in the custodial death case of the victim's father. In that case, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and his appeal, along with an application for suspension of sentence, is also pending before the High Court.
Soon after the bail order, the Unnao rape survivor, her mother, and Yogita Bhayana staged a protest at India Gate. The survivor alleged that the timing of the bail was politically motivated, linking it to the upcoming 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The victim's mother broke down during the protest, repeatedly demanding justice and the cancellation of Sengar's bail. She also alleged rough handling by security personnel, claiming her daughters were taken away in a vehicle and later dropped off on a road. "We want justice. His bail should be cancelled," she said, adding that she still had hope that the Supreme Court would intervene.
Bhayana had earlier condemned the actions of the security forces during the protest, saying such treatment only deepened the family's trauma.