The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) plea seeking enhancement of the sentence awarded to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case. The CBI has challenged the life imprisonment granted by the Delhi High Court, arguing that the gravity of the crime warrants a harsher punishment.
Sengar was convicted in 2019 for the rape of a minor girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district and later sentenced to life imprisonment. The High Court had upheld the conviction and sentence, while also directing compensation to the survivor. The agency has maintained that the offence, coupled with the abuse of political power and attempts to intimidate the victim and her family, merits the “maximum punishment permissible under law”.
Ahead of the hearing, protests erupted at Jantar Mantar on Sunday, where activists, women’s rights groups, and civil society members gathered demanding stringent punishment and speedy justice
Protesters raised slogans calling for accountability and stronger deterrence against crimes involving sexual violence and misuse of power.
According to police, the demonstration remained largely peaceful, with heightened security deployed in the area. Organisers said the protest was aimed at keeping public attention on the case as it returns to the apex court.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments from both sides on the quantum of sentence, while Sengar continues to serve his term in prison.
