The Supreme Court has overturned a Delhi High Court order that had suspended the life sentence of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case, instructing the High Court to reconsider the plea.
The CBI began its questioning of the UP lawmaker around 5 am on Friday.
The Supreme Court has permitted the Unnao rape survivor to become a party in the CBI's petition challenging the suspension of Kuldeep Singh Sengar's life imprisonment, affirming the victim's right to be heard in the proceedings.
The court convicted Sengar for rape under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act for offence by a public servant committing penetrative sexual assault against a child.
The Supreme Court overturned a Delhi High Court order that had suspended the life sentence of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case, instructing the High Court to reconsider the plea.
A bench headed by Justice Prathiba M Singh suspended the sentence for the time being and directed that Sengar be admitted to AIIMS-Delhi for his medical evaluation and must remain in the capital once discharged.
The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing on the CBI's petition challenging the suspension of Kuldeep Singh Sengar's life imprisonment in the 2017 Unnao rape case.
A 17-year-old girl has alleged that she was raped by Bangermau MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar of the BJP at his residence when she had gone to meet him with a relative seeking a job last year.
The CBI will challenge the suspension of life sentence and bail granted to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case in the Supreme Court. The decision follows a Delhi High Court order suspending Sengar's sentence. Rahul Gandhi has criticized the decision and met with the survivor.
The search operation is spread across at least 17 premises in four districts of Uttar Pradesh -- Lucknow, Banda, Unnao, Fatehpur, they said.
Congressmen came out against the BJP in Lucknow staging a dharna and demanding Sengar's expulsion from the saffron party.
The Delhi High Court dismissed an appeal by the Unnao rape survivor seeking the death penalty for Kuldeep Sengar in her father's custodial death case, citing an unexplained delay of 1,945 days in filing the appeal.
A special court has declined to discharge a police officer from charges of failing to record a rape complaint against BJP ex-MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in 2017 by a minor victim, officials said.
Surendra Singh said that children should not be given undue freedom and asked parents not to give mobile phones to them.
Atul Sengar, the brother of BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was arrested after the Lucknow Director General of Police issued the arrest warrant against him.
The court noted that the chargesheet did not find mention of any record or evidence regarding the criminal conspiracy between the accused persons ordered to be put on trial with the accused Sengar.
The Delhi High Court questioned the Unnao rape survivor about a significant delay in filing her appeal seeking capital punishment for Kuldeep Sengar in connection with her father's custodial death, raising concerns about the reasons behind the delay.
The case caused a huge embarrassment to the BJP government
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met the Unnao rape survivor after she protested the bail granted to Kuldeep Singh Sengar, criticizing the treatment of survivors and calling India a 'dead society'.
The court has framed charges under Sections 120 b (criminal conspiracy), 363 (kidnapping), 366 (kidnapping or inducing a woman to compel for marriage), 376 (rape) and other relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
The FIR filed by the CBI had booked Sengar and nine other associates for alleged criminal conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder and criminal intimidation.
The girl tried to immolate herself near the chief minister's residence in Lucknow on Sunday.
The Delhi high court on Friday modified its order granting interim bail to expelled Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar, serving life term for raping a minor in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao in 2017, by asking him to surrender after his daughter's 'tilak' ceremony and then be released again before her marriage.
The BJP, however, distanced itself from the comments, saying the statements could the personal view of Hardoi MLA Ashish Singh Ashu.
The FIR, in which 15-20 unnamed people were also mentioned, was registered at the Gurubuxganj police station in Rae Bareli.
"He is lodged in the jail for a long time. Sengar is one of the most popular lawmakers so I came to thank him after the elections," the BJP leader told reporters.
Shashi Singh, the woman who allegedly took the victim to MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar on the day of crime, has been arrested.
The Unnao police booked Sengar under various sections of the IPC and provisions of the POCSO Act, but said the CBI will take a decision about his arrest.
Ahsan Ullah Khan, the additional district and session judge of the MP-MLA court in Sonbhadra, also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Gond which would be used in the rape survivor's rehabilitation.
The court also directed the CBI to continue assessing threat perception to the life and security of the survivor and her family members every three months.
On Tuesday, the Centre handed over the probe to the CBI on the recommendation of the Uttar Pradesh government. The state government has come under severe criticism for failing to provide security to the 19-year-old woman who was allegedly raped by the BJP MLA in 2017 when she was a minor.
According to the information shared by Uttar Pradesh Police with the CBI, the witness, named Yunus, who ran a general merchant shop in Makhi village, where the MLA and the victim lived, was allegedly not well for sometime.
Earlier, the Allahabad HC rapped the Uttar Pradesh government saying the law and order machinery and officials were directly under the MLA's influence.
Priyanka Gandhi's poser in a tweet came a day after the Uttar Pradesh police filed a murder case against Sengar and nine others following a complaint by the Unnao rape survivor's family, alleging "conspiracy" behind the Sunday's car crash in which the victim was severely injured and two of her family members were killed.
According to an insider, "Winning is all that matters to the BJP. The leaders were warned that he was an undesirable character but they said look at his victory margin."
The team will go into all the aspects and probe the incident till the CBI takes over the probe, the officer said.
The woman was allegedly kidnapped and raped by Sengar in 2017 when she was a minor.
An order from the department of personnel and training said the case is being handed over to the CBI to probe "abetment and conspiracies" into the accident.
The development comes a day after senior politicians from different opposition parties demanded a free and fair probe into the accident of the Unnao rape survivor and her family.
The expelled BJP MLA is accused of raping the woman in 2017. He is also facing murder charges as the woman was hit by a truck in July. Her two aunts were killed in the accident.
