E-Paper
Unnao rape survivor vows more fight; Kuldeep Sengar’s daughter cries foul play: Who said what after SC's big order
“I have got justice from the Supreme Court. I will not rest until he is hanged. I will keep fighting,” Unnao rape survivor said after high court's order stayed.
The Supreme Court on Monday paused a Delhi High Court order suspending expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar's life sentence in the 2017 Unnao rape case.
The big move has triggered reactions from both sides — with the survivor calling it justice, her lawyer terming it only a brief respite, and the convict Kuldeep Sengar's daughter maintaining her father’s innocence.
A special vacation bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices J K Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih stayed the Delhi high court’s December 23, 2025 order that had opened the door for Sengar’s release.
Survivor vows to continue fight
The order was welcomed by the survivor, who had attempted self-immolation outside the Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s residence in 2018 to draw attention to her case.
“I have got justice from the Supreme Court. I will not rest until he is hanged. I will keep fighting,” she said, as reported by HT earlier.
In an interaction with news agency PTI later, she said that her family continues to face threats. “I will keep fighting. I will not rest until he is hanged. Only then will my family and I get justice. We receive threats even today.”
Reiterating her faith in the judiciary, the survivor said, “I do not make allegations against any court. I have faith in all courts, but the Supreme Court has given me justice and will continue to do so.”
The survivor’s family also expressed relief over the apex court’s intervention. Her sister said she had complete faith that the court would ensure Sengar is not released.
“He is a monster. He first raped my sister and then destroyed the entire family. I am satisfied today. His bail should remain rejected,” she added.
The survivor’s mother also thanked the top court and told reporters that those responsible for her husband’s death should be awarded the death sentence, the PTI report added.
Sengar’s daughter alleges injustice
On the other side, Sengar’s daughter Aishwarya Sengar voiced anguish and accused the system of denying her family a fair hearing.
“We have been stripped of our dignity, our peace, and even our basic right to be heard. Still, I hope for justice,” she said in a statement after the Supreme Court order.
She claimed there was an “age-old enmity” between her family and the survivor’s family that predated the rape case, and urged the media to question the survivor about evidence against her father, reported ANI news agency.
Aishwarya also alleged that the survivor’s uncle was a history-sheeter with 17 cases against him and claimed he had attacked her uncle.
She further levelled allegations against the survivor, saying, “The rape victim had previously filed cases against other people, and two and a half months later, she deliberately included my father's name”.
At the same time, Aishwarya said, “If my father has even glanced at that girl with ill intent, he should be hanged,” ANI reported.
Survivor’s lawyer calls stay ‘small relief’
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s order, survivor’s counsel Mehmood Pracha said the stay only offered limited relief. “This should not be called victory, but we have got a little time to breathe,” ANI quoted Pracha as saying.
Expressing anguish, he questioned whether the order truly amounted to relief. “I will leave it to the people of the country and the legal fraternity to gauge for themselves if this is a big respite for us. I would say no. Do you want me to be happy when the girl has been taken away by the CRPF? I don't even get a chance to speak to her about the order, so do you think I will be happy?” he said.
Background of the case
Sengar, a strongman politician from the Unnao region of central Uttar Pradesh, has won assembly elections four times from three different parties, most recently from Bangarmau in 2017 on a BJP ticket.
In 2019, he was convicted under IPC Section 376 (rape) and Section 5(c) of the Pocso Act. In 2020, he was also convicted under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) in connection with the custodial death of the survivor’s father.
In its order, the Delhi high court had held that while Sengar was convicted under Section 5(c) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, an elected representative did not qualify as a “public servant” under Section 21 of the Indian Penal Code.
The Supreme Court, however, stayed that reasoning for now, underlining that the Unnao rape case convict had been found guilty under both the Pocso Act and the IPC, and that the legal questions raised required deeper consideration.
