Unnao Case: HC directs Tihar to provide adequate medical care to Atul Singh Sengar
New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed Tihar Jail authorities to provide adequate medical care to Atul Singh Sengar, one of the convicts in the Unnao rape and murder case, after he was diagnosed with oral cancer.
A single judge bench of the high court presided by Justice Vibhu Bakhru passed the order while hearing Sengar’s plea seeking parole on medical grounds.
During the course of hearing, Sengar’s counsel informed the court that Atul has been diagnosed with oral cancer.
The court then disposed of the plea with the direction that the jail authorities shall ensure that necessary and adequate treatment, as advised by doctors, is provided to him.
On the previous date of hearing, the bench had to select a hospital for seeking treatment while being in custodial parole.
While the matter was being heard through video conferencing, the counsel appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appraised the court that the petitioner convict is an influential person and shall only be granted custodial parole.
“The allegation is that he and his goon had beaten up the father of the prosecutrix (the rape victim) and a false case was registered against him… They are politically affluent people and can influence others. He has been convicted for offences under 304 IPC,” said the CBI counsel.
He further questioned why parole was being sought and an appeal had not been filed. Responding to the same, the counsel for the convict said he wanted to file an appeal but was not able to do it due to restricted functioning of the court.
Following the arguments, the judge said, “You select the hospital for surgery in Delhi, we will give you custodial parole.”
The arguments and directions came in while the court was hearing an application filed by convict Atul Singh Sengar, who is serving jail term, seeking eight weeks parole on the ground that he has multiple health issues and has to undergo surgery in Kanpur.
In March this year, Delhi’s Tis Hazari Court sentenced expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and six others to 10 years imprisonment for the death of Unnao rape survivor’s father. Sengar is already serving life imprisonment for raping the minor.
Sengar and his brother Atul were directed to give 10 lakh compensation to the family of the victim for the loss of their father. “There are four minor children involved, three girls and one boy. They have also been uprooted from their native place,” the judge said.
Seven people, including Sengar, his brother and two police personnel, were held guilty for culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy, earlier this month.
The case pertains to the death of rape survivor’s father in custody on April 9, 2018. It was alleged that he was assaulted following a quarrel with some of the accused in the case.
–IANS
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