Unnao rape survivor accident: SC gives CBI two more weeks to complete probe

The Supreme Court on Monday gave the CBI an extension of two weeks to complete investigation into a road accident that left the Unnao rape survivor and her lawyer critical and instantly killed two other women relatives traveling with them.
A Bench led by Justice Deepak Gupta was informed by the CBI side that the girl and the lawyer continue to be in a critical stage and their statements were yet to be recorded.
The investigating agency sought a month’s time, but the court gave it a fortnight. The Bench further directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay the lawyer’s family an interim compensation of ₹5 lakh towards his medical expenses.
The lawyer and the girl were shifted from a Lucknow hospital to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences for advanced treatment on the orders of the Supreme Court earlier in August.
The court on August 1 directed the transfer of the accident case to Delhi but, the next day, modified its order to the extent of deferring the transfer till the probe got over. The modification came in an order on August 2 after the CBI told the court that an immediate transfer would lead to jurisdictional hiccups for the Judicial Magistrate, CBI, Lucknow, to remand the accused and for granting permission to the CBI for custodial interrogation of the accused.
The lawyer and the girl were shifted from a Lucknow hospital to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences for advanced treatment on the orders of the Supreme Court earlier in August.
The court on August 1 directed the transfer of the accident case to Delhi but, the next day, modified its order to the extent of deferring the transfer till the probe got over. The modification came in an order on August 2 after the CBI told the court that an immediate transfer would lead to jurisdictional hiccups for the Judicial Magistrate, CBI, Lucknow, to remand the accused and for granting permission to the CBI for custodial interrogation of the accused.
At the time, the court had given the CBI seven to a maximum of 14 days to complete the investigation into the case.
The accident that occurred on July 28 left the 19-year-old victim and her lawyer critical and killed two of her aunts. A speeding truck rammed their car near Rae Bareli.
Days before the accident, the Unnao victim had reached out to the CJI in a letter. But her cry for help largely remained unnoticed in the court’s registry for almost a fortnight.
Her letter, dated July 12, had spelled out the threats to her life and her family from the accused, who included Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a four-time BJP MLA from U.P.’s Bangermau. The letter landed at the Supreme Court Registry on July 17 but did not reach the CJI’s table till July 30 — well after the accident.
The next hearing of the case will be on September 6.