New Delhi, December 20: Expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar (54) will remain in jail till his last breath for raping a minor girl in Unnao in 2017, a Delhi court said on Friday while terming his offence as a “depraved act” of a “democratic functionary” leading to erosion of citizens’ faith in him.
Sending out a stern message, the court decided to award the maximum punishment of life term with a rider that the convict will remain in jail for “remainder of his natural biological life” and also imposed an exemplary fine of Rs 25 lakh on him to be paid within a month.
In his verdict, District Judge Dharmesh Sharma said, “Convict Kuldeep Sengar was a ‘public servant’ when he committed the depraved act of ‘aggravated penetrative sexual assault’ upon the minor girl…, every coercive measure was adopted by the convict himself and through his henchmen to intimidate, harm and silence the victim girl and her family.
“The convict was a key democratic functionary… offence has eroded the faith of the people to which he owed allegiance and a duty to exhibit upright moral behaviour and probity in personal and public life.”
The court directed that additional Rs 10 lakh be paid as relief to the victim’s mother. Besides, the court directed the CBI to continue assessing threat to the victim and her family every three months. It said they will continue to reside in rented accommodation made available by Delhi Commission for Women for a year and directed UP Government to pay Rs 15,000 per month as rent.
