Unnao rape survivor, her lawyer to be airlifted to Delhi, orders Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered that the Unnao rape survivor and her lawyer will be airlifted to Delhi AIIMS for further treatment. The 19-year-old will be airlifted from the King George Medical University Hospital for treatment. Last week, the top court had deferred the decision to airlift the Unnao rape survivor to Delhi as her mother told the top court that the teen is too critical, and the family wants her to be treated in Lucknow itself. Agreeing to the family demand, the top court had said that the survivor won’t be airlifted for now. The final decision will be taken on Monday. The Supreme Court also ordered the transfer of uncle of the Unnao teen from jail in Uttar Pradesh to Tihar jail in Delhi. The top court further ordered the media to refrain from disclosing the identity of the Unnao rape survivor.

The apex court took note of a statement made by senior advocate V Giri that said the rape survivor is unconscious and on ventilator, and her family has expressed that she be treated at the Lucknow hospital for the time being. Giri is assisting the court as amicus curiae in the matter. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi accepted the suggestion and said the rape survivor's family is at liberty to take a call on shifting her to AIIMS in Delhi from Lucknow. The bench also comprising justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose, was informed that the lawyer, who was injured along with the rape survivor in the accident, was taken off ventilator but his condition is still critical.

Doctors say that the 19-year-old has suffered grievous head and leg injuries. However, they added that her condition is stable at the moment. The Unnao rape case rocked Lok Sabha on July 30 with the Opposition demanding statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

A day before, the Supreme Court on Thursday transferred all five cases linked to the Unnao rape survivor from the CBI court in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi and said the designated judge in the national capital will commence the trial on a day-to-day basis and complete the trial within 45 days. "Taking into account the ground stated in transfer petition, and letter to the CJI, we order the transfer of all the cases from the CBI court in UP to Delhi,' the top court said. The court has also directed the state to pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the Unnao rape survivor by today. The apex court has also ordered security to be provided to the survivor and family and injured lawyer and his family.

The BJP also expelled Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the main accused in the Unnao gangrape. According to latest media reports, the top leadership at the BJP took the step after marathon meeting, which was attended by senior leaders Swatantra Dev Singh and Sunil Bansal. The party reportedly felt that suspension was not enough. While Swatantra Dev Singh had claimed that Sengar was suspended from party, there was never any official press release. Multiple media reports stated that no leader from the party had any details of the ‘suspension’. The BJP was under pressure to act against Sengar since the July 28 accident involving the Unnao rape survivor and her family. The rape survivor's mother had alleged that Sengar, a four-time MLA who represents Bangermau in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, raped her teenage daughter at his residence in 2017. Sengar was arrested on April 13 last year.