Unnao rape case: SC seeks report on delay in placing victim's letter before CJI

Taking cognisance of the Unnao rape victim's letter to Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a report from its secretary general as to why it had not been brought to his notice since July 17. In her letter to the CJI, the 19-year-old woman whose car was hit on Sunday by a truck killing her two aunts and injuring her critically had expressed apprehension of threat to her life by alleged associates of BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

Already in jail after being booked for allegedly raping the woman in 2017, Sengar has also been charged with murder after the truck-car collision in which the woman's lawyer was also injured. "Unfortunately, the letter is yet to see the light of the day and yet the newspapers flashed it as if I have read the letter," Justice Gogoi said, adding that the letter has not been brought to his notice till 4 PM on Tuesday.

The bench, also comprising justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose, lamented that newspapers gave the impression that no action was taken by the CJI. "List the matter tomorrow (on August 1) along with the report of the Registry in respect of the administrative order passed by the CJI yesterday with regard to the letter written by the victim in Unnao Rape Case, which the media has reported to have been received in the Registry on July 17.

"The Secretary General to explain why if the said letter has been received on July 17, the same was not put up either before the Bench on the judicial side or before the CJI on the administrative side until 4.00 pm yesterday," it said in the order. "We will do something about this highly volatile situation," the bench said.

The observations came when senior advocate V Giri, who is assisting the court in the suo motu case on alarming rise in child rapes, sought urgent hearing of the Unnao rape case also with the pending one in which a slew of directions like setting up of a special POCSO court in every district by the Centre has been ordered. The apex also asked the Uttar Pradesh authorities to file a status report by Thursday on the accident of the Unnao rape case victim.

It listed the matter for hearing on Thursday. The condition of the victim showed marginal improvement on Wednesday but she remains unconscious and on ventilator support, doctors said.

She and her lawyer were admitted to the King George Medical University here after a truck rammed into their car in Rae Bareli on Sunday. The woman's family has filed a complaint alleging "conspiracy" behind the car crash.

A copy of the letter, written by the woman and two of her family members, was also sent to the Allahabad High Court and Uttar Pradesh government authorities. The letter claimed that some people, allegedly associated with Sengar, had threatened the victim's family with dire consequences on July 7-8.

It also sought a direction for registration of an FIR against those who allegedly intimidated the family. The letter, signed by the girl, her mother and aunt, stated that on July 7 Naveen Singh, son of an accused in the case Shashi Singh, brother of another accused Kuldeep Singh and one Kunnu Mishra had visited their house and threatened them. The next day, another person came to their house.

Along with the letter, they said, they were also annexing the video of the car in which these people had come to their house.