[dropcap]T[/dropcap]HE Supreme Court on Monday granted two weeks’ time to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to complete the ongoing probe into the car accident involving Unnao rape survivor and her lawyer. Both of them are currently undergoing treatment at AIIMS Delhi.
The CBI apprised a two-judge bench comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose that the accident victims continue to be in a critical state. Therefore, their statements could not be recorded yet. The court granted an extension of two weeks to the CBI to complete the probe though the CBI had sought an extension of four weeks.
SC has also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide an interim compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the lawyer to meet his medical expenses.
Further, the court asked the survivor’s family to refrain from statements in the press. Whatever they wish to say, they can inform to the court, said the bench headed by Justice Gupta.
Taking a serious note of the case in which Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) expelled MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar is a prime accused and the recent road accident involving the rape survivor, the Supreme Court had on August 1, 2019 transferred all five cases from the CBI court in Lucknow to the court of Dharmesh Sharma, District Judge, West, Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi.
Read Also: Unnao Rape: Supreme Court transfers out all cases from Lucknow to New Delhi
A three-judge bench comprising the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose had also ordered that the probe into the car accident involving the rape survivor, her family and lawyer would be completed in seven days. Two members of the group were killed while the rape survivor and her advocate were critically when their vehicle was hit by a speeding truck in Rae Bareli, UP.
The court had also ordered interim compensation of Rs 25 lakhs to the rape survivor and her family members. It also ordered that security and protection be provided to all them.
Brief background
On July 21, the car in which the rape survivor, her family and lawyer were travelling was hit by a speeding truck in Rae Bareli, killing two members of the group and leaving her and the advocate critically injured.
Sengar, a four-term MLA from BJP is accused of raping the woman in 2017 after she visited his Unnao home for a job. He has been in jail since April 2019.
The Uttar Pradesh Government had transferred the accident case to the CBI, which in turn had registered a case against Sengar and 10 others accused.
The agency had also registered a case against 20 unknown persons under charges of criminal conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder and criminal intimidation.
The victim’s mother had filed a transfer petition before the Supreme Court in January seeking the transfer of the case to Delhi from Lucknow for a fair trial. The Supreme Court had on April 16, 2019, issued a notice to the CBI and others, on the petition.
