"Hang The Guilty": Protest Held Outside Delhi HC Over Bail In Unnao Rape Case

New Delhi: On Friday, a group of protesters gathered outside the Delhi High Court, opposing the court's decision to grant conditional bail to expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the high-profile 2017 Unnao rape case.

How did people react on the streets?

They raised slogans, called for stricter justice, and demanded that Sengar’s bail be revoked. The victim’s mother voiced her anger sharply, saying the guilty should be "hanged," and expressed deep distrust in the legal process. 

"His bail should be rejected... We will knock on the doors of the Supreme Court. We have lost faith in the high court... If we don't get justice in the Supreme Court, we will go to another country... The person guilty of my husband's murder should be hanged immediately," the victim's mother said to ANI on Friday.

Delhi saw strong public anger this week after the Delhi High Court granted conditional bail to Kuldeep. The court's order to suspend Sengar's life sentence while his appeal is heard drew immediate criticism from people and the victim's family. 

Women's rights activists joined the scene, saying the bail decision hurt broader efforts to protect survivors of sexual violence. Some demonstrators questioned the logic of releasing a convicted criminal on bail while the appeal is pending.

Earlier, reacting to the court order, the Unnao rape survivor had said, "I am extremely upset by what has happened today in the court," adding that she feels "extremely unsafe" after learning about the bail conditions granted to Sengar.

Who is Kuldeep Sengar and what was he convicted for?

Sengar was convicted for kidnapping and raping a minor girl in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district in June 2017. He was convicted in December 2019 in connection with the rape of a minor girl, a case that drew national attention for its brutality and political aftershocks. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court following trial proceedings that began after the Supreme Court moved the case from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi. 

What conditions did the court impose?

The bench, led by Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, ordered Sengar's release after he furnished a personal bond of Rs 15 lakh with three sureties of the same amount. He must also stay at least 5 kilometres away from the victim's home and must not threaten or contact her or her mother. The court warned that any breach of these terms could lead to immediate cancellation of his bail.