In a deeply unsettling turn of events on December 23, 2025, the Unnao rape survivor and her mother were forcefully removed by the Delhi Police from a protest site near India Gate, according to reports.
The demonstration was an immediate reaction to the Delhi High Court’s decision to suspend the life sentence of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar, granting him conditional bail during his pending appeal.
While the court cited his seven-year incarceration as a ground for relief, the survivor expressed profound terror, alleging that the bail was politically timed and that her family’s safety is now in grave jeopardy.
Unnao Rape Case
The Unnao case stands as one of the most harrowing examples of the struggle between a common citizen and a powerful political figure. In 2017, the survivor, then a minor, was kidnapped and raped by Sengar, a four-time MLA.
“I heard the judgement, I felt very bad. I wanted to kill myself then and there, but I stopped after thinking about my family. Injustice has been done to us… Elections are coming, and he has been released on bail so that his wife can contest the polls. If such a rape accused will come out, how will we be safe? Everyone has become unsafe. His bail should be cancelled, and he should be sent to jail. We will go to the Supreme Court,” the survivor told news agency ANI.
Her pursuit of justice was met with systemic intimidation, including the custodial death of her father in 2018 and a 2019 road “accident” that claimed the lives of two aunts.
Sengar was eventually convicted in December 2019 by a Delhi court and sentenced to life imprisonment. This latest judicial development has reopened these deep wounds, forcing the survivor back into a state of public desperation.
Delhi High Court Judgment
The division bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar noted that Sengar has already served over seven years in prison since his arrest.
The court took a prima facie view that the “aggravated penetrative sexual assault” under Section 5 of the POCSO Act, which allows for a life sentence, might not strictly apply here, as an MLA is not always defined as a “public servant” under certain provisions of the Act.
Consequently, the bench observed that he could not be indefinitely detained pending a final decision on his appeal.
“We are suspending the sentence. Personal bond of Rs. 15 Lakh with three sureties of like amount…Not to come within 5 km radius of the residence of victim. Directed to stay in Delhi during the pendency of the appeal. Ensure that he is available for completing remaining part of sentence if in case he is found guilty,” Live Law quoted the court judgement.
Kuldeep Sengar Bail Conditions
The High Court bench, comprising Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, granted Sengar bail on a personal bond of 15 lakh rupees.
To ensure the survivor’s safety, the bench imposed strict geographical restrictions, prohibiting Sengar from entering a five-kilometre radius of the victim’s residence in Delhi.
He must report to the local police station every Monday and is strictly forbidden from contacting, influencing, or threatening the victim or her family members.
Additionally, Sengar was ordered to surrender his passport and must provide his mobile location to the Investigating Officer at all times. The court directed the DCP to personally supervise the protection of the survivor to prevent any intimidation during this period of suspension.
However, the survivor’s family remains unconvinced by these paper safeguards. Her sister told reporters, “He has been released, but we are still in danger. If they have released him, then they should put us in jail instead so we can at least be alive.”
Unnao Rape Case Timeline
The Unnao rape case remains a chilling symbol of the intersection between political power and systemic injustice in India.
In 2017, a minor girl accused then-MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar of kidnapping and rape, but her struggle for an FIR led to a national outcry only after she attempted self-immolation outside the Chief Minister’s residence in 2018.
The tragedy deepened when her father was arrested on fabricated charges and died in judicial custody after being brutally thrashed by Sengar’s associates.
This sequence of state-aided intimidation, further compounded by a suspicious 2019 road “accident” that killed the survivor’s relatives, forced the Supreme Court to intervene, ultimately transferring the trials to Delhi to ensure a fair process.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The sight of a survivor being dragged into a police van for protesting the release of her tormentor is a haunting indictment of our social and legal priorities.
When the “due process” of law results in a victim feeling more unsafe than she did during the trial, the system has failed its primary duty of protection. We advocate for a justice system that balances the rights of the accused with the lived reality of the survivor’s trauma and risk.
