Sengar loses UP Assembly membership after rape conviction

Expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar has been disqualified from the membership of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, following his conviction in the rape case by a Delhi sessions' court in December.

In a notification issued by the UP Vidhan Sabha, Sengar has been deemed disqualified with effect from December 20, 2019 and his Bangarmau seat in Unnao district has been declared vacant.

Kuldeep Sengar is a four term MLA who was accused of rape by a girl from his Makhi village. The girl attempted self-immolation outside the chief minister's residence in April 2017 when the police did not take action on her complaint.

The rape victim's father, who had been arrested by the police, died in custody two days later, after he was beaten up in the lock-up by Sengar's brother, Atul Sengar.

As public outrage erupted, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath handed over the case to the CBI and Kuldeep Sengar, his brother Atul and others were arrested.

In July 2019, the rape victim met with an serious accident in Rae Bareli. Her two female relatives died in the car crash while she and her lawyer were seriously injured.

Both were airlifted to Delhi for treatment and the family alleged that Kuldeep Sengar had masterminded the accident. However, the CBI did not find any evidence of Sengar's involvement in the accident.

Since the Supreme Court had ordered that all cases related to the rape case be heard in Delhi, where a sessions' court convicted Kuldeep Sengar in the rape case in December and awarded a life sentence.