New Delhi [India], May 15 : The Delhi High Court on Friday commenced hearing arguments in appeals filed against the trial court judgment in the Unnao custodial death case, in which former Uttar Pradesh MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and others were convicted.
Sengar is serving a 10-year sentence in this case. The father of the Unnao rape victim was subjected to custodial torture.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma heard the arguments on behalf of Jaideep Singh Senger and listed the matter for further arguements on May 18.
Senior advocate Pramod Kumar Dubey alongwith Advocate SPM Tripathi, appeared for Jaideep Singh Sengar.
It was argued that the charges framed against the convicts were defective. It was also submitted that the charges were framed at Lucknow. Special CBI Judge amended the charges on the same day.
It was further argued that all the accused were charged with the offence under the Arms Act. However, the accsued against whom the requisite sanction was obtained, he was acquitted by the Special court.
Kuldeep Singh Sengar and others have challenged the judgment of conviction of March 4, 2020, and the order on sentence of March 13, 2020, passed by the District & Sessions Judge Tis Hazari Courts in CBI FIR. The case was originally registered at District Unnao, Uttar Pradesh.
The Unnao rape victim had filed an appeal and sought conversion of the offence of death into the offence of murder. She had sought capital punishment or at least a life sentence.
On April 20, the high court had dismissed, on the grounds of delay of 1,945 days, the appeal of the Unnao rape victim seeking enhancement of the sentence awarded to former MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and 6 others in her father's custodial death case.
It was submitted that the appellant is a rape victim and she is under constant threat to her life, and is already in a precarious position being a rape victim, and cannot be expected to be totally vigilant while pursuing litigation and that the reasons for delay provide 'sufficient' explanation.