SC grants 2 more weeks to CBI to finish probe in Unnao rape and accident case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday granted two more weeks time to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to complete investigation into Unnao rape and accident case, after the CBI's special judge presiding in Tis Hazari court probing the case asked for an extension.

The CBI court while submitting its status report told the apex court that it was not possible to conduct the trial comprehensively within the period of 45 days. Responding to it, the SC agreed to grant an extension of 15 days to file a chargesheet in the rape and accident case, and told the CBI to ensure that the trial is conducted in "legal manner".

The case pertains to expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar being accused of raping a minor girl at his residence in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao in 2017, when she had gone to seek a job. On July 28, the car in which the rape survivor, her lawyer and two aunts were travelling was hit by a speeding truck in Rae Bareli. Both her aunts were killed in the accident and the rape survivor and her lawyer critically injured. As many as five cases in the rape and road accident incident were registered against Sengar and his aides. 

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After the accident, the victim and her lawyer were shifted to the Trauma Centre of New Delhi’s  All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where they were put on advanced life support systems.

The CBI court on Friday requested for permission to establish a temporary court in AIIMS to record the statement of the victim girl and her lawyer. The apex court said that they can set up the temporary court to take the victims' statement on the recommendation of Delhi High Court.

On August 1, the Supreme Court shifted the five cases connected with the Unnao rape incident to Delhi, assigned a special judge to conduct a day-to-day trial and ordered that the trial should be completed within 45 days.

In the last hearing, the SC had asked the special CBI judge presiding in Tis Hazari Court that how many days will it take to complete the trial in the case. The apex court had asked this after an accused in the case had approached the SC seeking an extension of the time slated for completion of the trial in the matter.