SC to hear Unnao rape survivor's plea seeking transfer of case to Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 16 The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to list next week a plea by Unnao rape survivor to transfer a criminal case filed by the father of one of the accused in her sexual assault case to Delhi from a trial court in Uttar Pradesh.

Advocate Vrinda Grover mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and sought urgent hearing on her fresh plea. After hearing submissions, the bench, also comprising justices J.K. Maheshwari and Hima Kohli, said, "list next week".

The plea cited real risk to the petitioner's life and personal safety if she is forced to appear before and face a criminal trial in Unnao district.

It also claimed that the "counter judicial proceedings" have been initiated against the victim in the Unnao court.

A non-bailable warrant was issued by a local court at Unnao against the victim on a criminal complaint of alleged cheating and forgery, which was filed by the father of Shubham Singh, one of the accused.

In December 2019, a Delhi court had sentenced expelled former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar to life imprisonment for kidnapping and raping the girl in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao in 2017, when she was a minor. Sengar's appeal against the conviction and the life sentence is pending in the Delhi High Court. The high court had recently sought a reply from the CBI.

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