"Astonished to see judiciary so weak": Congress' TS Singh Deo on Unnao rape case

Deo added he would have been disappointed if the Supreme Court hadn't stayed Delhi HC's decision on the matter.

"I am astonished to see the judiciary so weak in a country where the Goddesses are worshipped as much as the Gods. Nothing is more shameful than when a judicial system grants relief to someone (Sengar receiving relief from the Delhi HC). It would have been disappointing if the Supreme Court hadn't been able to stay the order," TS Singh Deo told ANI.

Meanwhile, National Student Union of India (NSUI) president Varun Choudhary said that he would welcome the decision when Kuldeep Singh Sengar is convicted in the matter.

"I will welcome this decision more when Kuldeep Sengar is convicted, and justice is served to the daughters of our country," he told ANI.

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Delhi High Court's order suspending the life sentence of expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case of a minor.

The Supreme Court's three-judge vacation bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and AG Masih, was hearing the CBI's plea challenging the Delhi High Court's December 23 order suspending Sengar's life sentence pending appeal and granting him bail.

Staying the High Court's order, the apex court noted that Sengar remains in custody in another case. "We are informed that the convict is also convicted and sentenced under Section 304 (murder) of the IPC and that he is still in custody in that case. Considering such peculiar circumstances, we stay the operation of the impugned order. The respondent shall not be released," the bench observed.

The Supreme Court also issued notice to Sengar, seeking his response to the CBI's plea within two weeks.

Sengar, a former Uttar Pradesh MLA, was convicted in December 2019 in the Unnao rape case and sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 25 lakh. (ANI)