india

Updated: Aug 08, 2019 01:27 IST

A special court designated by the Supreme Court to hear the case against expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Unnao Kuldeep Sengar, on Wednesday opened a sealed envelope containing a hard disk with call data records (CDR) seized by the Central Bureau of Investigation for forensic examination, even as the senior Public Prosecutor Ashok Bhartendu, appearing for CBI, said the statement of the rape survivor, recorded by the court, should be relied upon and the accused should be put on trial.

The court also issued a slew of guidelines on how the media could report the case, adding that it would decide at a later stage whether to hold “in camera” hearings when the trials begin.

While the CBI’s contention was supported by Dharmendra Kumar Mishra and Poonam Kaushik, who are representing the mother of the survivor, Tanvir Ahmed Mir, appearing for Sengar called the allegations “false” and “motivated”.

The court directed that the data in the hard drive be shared with Sengar’s legal team the same day so that the arguments on charges could be heard without delay.

Sengar, who is accused of raping a minor in 2017, was transferred from Sitapur jail in Rai Bareli district, Uttar Pradesh to New Delhi’s Tihar jail, on a Supreme Court order. His accomplice Shashi Singh, who is also lodged in Tihar jail, was also present in court.

Last week, the apex court directed the Tiz Hazari court of district and sessions judge Dharmesh Sharma to hear all related cases within 45 working days. The matter is of some urgency as the survivor is currently battling for her life, after a horrific accident in Rai Bareli left her and her lawyer grievously injured, and killed two of her aunts.

Four cases, which also include a case of gang-rape against the survivor, as well as a case of custodial death of the survivor’s father in April 2018, will be heard by the Delhi court.

On July 30, the CBI filed a First Information Report, which names Sengar and his brother Atul, among others, in connection with the accident that took place on July 28. This is currently under investigation in Lucknow.

The special court on Wednesday issued a slew of guidelines restraining the media, which included not reporting the testimonies of witnesses and writing on the merits of the case. The court said that it will make appropriate decision at a later stage on holding “in-camera” proceedings when the trial begins.

The court directed the CBI to determine a daily allowance to be given to the survivor’s family so that they are not dependent on anyone.