Timeline of a Tragedy: How The Unnao Rape Case Exposed the Fragility of Justice

The long-winding legal saga of the Unnao rape case reached a new and controversial milestone today. In a significant reprieve for the prime convict, the Delhi High Court has suspended the life sentence of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar. While the battle for justice has spanned nearly nine years, this latest development reignites the debate over the safety of the survivor and the persistence of powerful interests even behind bars, not to mention it brings back the horror of the 2017 incident that ran a shiver down the spine of the nation.

A Cry in the Dark

In June 2017, a 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao, was allegedly lured to the residence of then-MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar under the pretext of a job by a neighbor and distant relative named Shashi Singh. As Singh stood guard outside, Sengar carried out the assault and later used a chilling combination of bribery and intimidation, promising a job while threatening to kill her father and young brother if she ever spoke a word.

The ordeal did not end there. According to the survivor, just a week later, on June 11, the girl was abducted again—this time by Shashi Singh’s son, Shubham, and his associates. She was held captive for over a week, gang-raped repeatedly, and allegedly "sold" to a man named Brajesh Yadav for ₹60,000.

This was followed by a long struggle where for almost a year, the survivor and her family faced a wall of silence. Local police reportedly refused to register an FIR against the influential leader, while the survivor's family was subjected to constant threats and intimidation. The police, reportedly, finally registered FIRs against the abductors but conspicuously omitted the name of Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

The Custodial Death of the Father

The situation reached a critical point on April 3, 2018 when the survivor’s father was involved in an altercation where he was thrashed by Sengar’s brother, Atul Singh, and several associates. Following the incident, local police did not arrest the attackers; instead, they took the father into custody on charges related to the Arms Act.

His condition deteriorated rapidly while in judicial custody. On April 9, 2018, he passed away. A subsequent post-mortem report revealed 14 significant injuries on his body, leading to a trial court later concluding that he had been beaten to death while in custody.

Self-Immolation Attempt and National Attention

On April 8, 2018, just a day before her father’s death, the survivor attempted self-immolation outside the residence of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister in Lucknow. The act drew immediate national media attention, prompting the state government to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Sengar was arrested by the CBI on April 13, 2018.

The 2019 "Accident" and Judicial Transfer

While Sengar was in jail, the survivor’s struggle continued. On July 28, 2019, a car carrying the survivor, her lawyer, and two of her aunts was struck by a speeding truck with a blackened number plate in Rae Bareli. Both aunts were killed, while the survivor and her lawyer were hospitalized in critical condition.

In response to the crash and a letter from the survivor's family citing death threats, the Supreme Court of India intervened. On August 1, 2019, the Court transferred all five related cases to a special court in Delhi for a day-to-day trial and mandated CRPF protection for the survivor.

Conviction and 2025 Legal Verdict

Despite his life sentence, Sengar has frequently moved the court for temporary release, successfully securing several periods of interim bail. In January 2023, the Delhi High Court granted him a two-week release from January 27 to February 10 to attend his daughter’s wedding, though safety concerns raised by the survivor led the court to mandate specific surrender dates during that window. More recently, he was granted a two-week medical bail in December 2024 for evaluation at AIIMS, followed by brief releases in January and February 2025 specifically for cataract surgery. This pattern of intermittent release culminated in the December 23, 2025, ruling where the High Court formally suspended his life sentence in the rape case, although his continued incarceration now hinges on his separate 10-year conviction for custodial death.

As the legal battle enters its ninth year, this suspension marks a major shift in a case that became a symbol of a survivor’s fight against political power. While the survivor remains under police protection, the final appeal will decide if the 2019 conviction remains a lasting victory for justice.

Also Read: Delhi HC Suspends Kuldeep Sengar’s Life Imprisonment in Unnao Rape Case