Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, called the Delhi High Court order to suspend the jail term of Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the former BJP MLA, as “extremely disappointing and shameful.”
“Should a gang rape survivor be treated in this manner? Did she make a mistake by displaying courage to raise her voice for justice? That the perpetrator has been granted bail at a time when she is being tormented and living under fear is extremely disappointing and shameful,” Rahul wrote on his X.
Sengar, the former BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao, serving a life sentence in a gang rape case and murder of the survivor’s father, was granted conditional reprieve by a division bench of the Delhi High Court on Tuesday.
“Bail for rapists and treating survivors like criminals - what kind of justice is this? We are not just becoming a dead economy - with such inhuman incidents, we are also turning into a dead society,” Rahul wrote. “In a democracy, raising voice of dissent is a right, and suppressing it is a crime. The survivor deserves respect, safety and justice - not helplessness, fear and injustice.”
The case dates back to June 2017 when the survivor was raped by Sengar when she went to meet looking for an employment. She was later gang raped and her father killed while in police custody.
Criticising the order, Aam Aadmi Party MP Swati Maliwal said: “This was a case of extreme brutality. Having worked closely on the survivor’s accommodation, education and rehabilitation, I believe such decisions risk eroding faith in justice. The Supreme Court must intervene to uphold accountability in crimes of this nature.”
Acting on the trial court’s order, the Delhi Commission for Women then headed by Maliwal had provided accommodation for the victim.
RJD MP Manoj Jha framed the moment as a collective failure.
“This is the moment when we should all collectively apologise. To the girls of this country. We are ashamed. The entire Indian Republic should apologise. A collective apology. That's all. What else can be done?” Jha asked.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate raised concerns about safety and police action.
“I met that family, the daughter and her mother and I know what they have gone through. Kuldeep Singh Sengar is not an accused, he was found guilty and serving a jail term. Why did Delhi Police use force against the victim and her mother when they were holding a peaceful protest at India Gate?" Shrinate asked.
"Will they be safe now after Kuldeep Singh Sengar walking free? The entire world is asking this question. I appeal to the court to take sou motu cognisance and reconsider the case,” she added.
CPIM leader Brinda Karat questioned the message such decisions send. “If only due to an appeal you (court) will grant bail to a convict, then what will be left for women,” she said.
Sengar will continue to remain in jail as he is also serving a 10-year sentence in the custodial death of the survivor’s father. The high court order only applies in the gang rape case, in which he was sentenced in December 2019.
Despite the order, Sengar will remain in jail as he is also serving a 10-year sentence in the custodial death case of the survivor’s father and has not been granted bail in that matter.
The survivor has said that she will approach the Supreme Court against the suspension of Sengar’s sentence.