Bhubaneswar: Several human rights and democratic organisations Saturday, strongly opposed the Delhi High Court’s recent stay order on life sentence awarded to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the main accused in the Unnao minor rape case.
Terming the order a planned assault on the judicial system, the groups organised a mass protest at Master Canteen here, demanding immediate intervention by the Supreme Court. The protest was attended by representatives of the All India Revolutionary Women’s Organisation, Civil Society Forum for Human Rights and several human rights activists, lawyers, writers and social workers.
Prominent participants included Narendra Mohanty, Basanti Acharya, Advocate Bishwapriya Kanungo and others. The protesters alleged that the High Court’s decision to suspend Sengar’s conviction was legally flawed and ignored the gravity of the crime.
Legal experts participated in the protest stated that the stay was not based on any prima facie evidence establishing the accused’s innocence, but rather on an erroneous classification of the offence.
The decision triggered widespread criticism across the country, with rights groups asserting that such orders weaken public faith in the justice delivery system and embolden perpetrators of crimes against women and minors. The demonstrators demanded that the Delhi High Court’s order be withdrawn immediately and called upon the Supreme Court to intervene to ensure justice for the survivor.