india

Updated: Aug 20, 2019 00:55 IST

The Supreme Court on Monday gave two more weeks to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to complete its probe into last month’s road crash in which the Unnao rape survivor and her lawyer sustained grievous injuries. The woman and lawyer are still in critical condition at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi where they are being treated.

A bench led by justice Deepak Gupta accepted CBI’s request for more time to complete the probe after it was told that both the survivor and lawyer were not in a condition to record their statements. Although the CBI sought four more weeks to complete the investigations, the court gave it two weeks.

“On perusal of the report (by the CBI), we find that the CBI has done extensive investigation but some loose ends need to be tied up. Some of the investigation relates to collating and analyzing the material already collected especially the electronic records,” the bench said.

“Most importantly the statements of the victim and her counsel who was driving the car could not be recorded till date, as they are both not in a position to make a statement. Though CBI seeks for four weeks further time to complete the investigation, we grant time till September 6, 2019,” ruled the bench.

The court also directed Uttar Pradesh government to pay Rs 5 lakh in compensation to the lawyer’s family within three days. The amount, the court said, would be spent on his treatment once he is discharged from AIIMS, Delhi. This amount, the court clarified, was interim compensation.

On July 28, the teen girl, who has accused expelled BJP lawmaker Kuldeep Sengar, 53, of raping her in 2017 when she went to him looking for a job, was in a Swift Dzire sedan when a truck hit them. The lawyer was driving the car. While the rape survivor and the advocate were seriously injured, two of the survivor’s relatives died in the accident; one of the relatives was a witness in the rape case. The speeding truck had blackened number plates and the survivor’s family has alleged Sengar’s involvement in the accident.

SC had on August 2 directed the CBI to complete the investigation in the case within seven days, adding that the agency could avail of an additional seven days in exceptional circumstances, but in no case would the time frame be extended beyond a fortnight. On the same day it had transferred four cases linked to the teen’s rape to Delhi and nominated a district judge to hear them on daily basis. Trial in all the four cases has to be completed in 45 days, the SC said.

The CBI has already formed a team of 25 officers to fast-track the car crash probe and a six-member forensic team took part in a reconstruction of the collision at the scene of the accident. CBI has already conducted raids at 17 places across Uttar Pradesh.