Unnao rape case: Akhilesh urges court hearings in 'language people understand'

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday called for linguistic inclusivity in court proceedings after the Unnao rape survivor reportedly expressed concern that arguments in her case were conducted in English, a language she could not fully understand.

Yadav made the remarks in a post on X in connection with the Unnao rape case involving expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

Sharing a media report highlighting the survivor’s concern, Yadav wrote in Hindi, “Insaf ki zubaan samajh aane se hi insaf hoga” (Justice can be delivered only when its language is understood), asserting that linguistic inclusion is crucial to the pursuit of justice.

In the same post, he said in English that the “dispensation of justice depends on the use of a language that is understandable to all parties involved,” adding that linguistic inclusivity is a determinative element in the true administration of justice.

The remarks come days after the Delhi High Court, on 23 December, suspended Sengar’s jail term in the Unnao rape case, noting that he had already spent seven years and five months in prison. Sengar is serving a life sentence awarded by a trial court in December 2019 for kidnapping and raping the survivor when she was a minor.

The high court suspended the sentence pending the disposal of Sengar’s appeal challenging his conviction and sentence. However, he will continue to remain in jail as he is also serving a 10-year sentence in the custodial death case of the survivor’s father, in which he has not been granted bail.

While granting suspension of sentence in the rape case, the court imposed several conditions, including that Sengar furnish a personal bond of Rs 15 lakh with three sureties of the like amount. It also directed him not to enter within a five-km radius of the survivor’s residence in Delhi or threaten her or her mother, warning that any violation would result in automatic cancellation of bail.

The Unnao rape case had drawn nationwide attention in 2018 after allegations against Sengar surfaced. Throughout the trial, the survivor and her family repeatedly alleged harassment and sought protection, making the case a flashpoint for debates on survivor safety, accountability and access to justice.

With PTI inputs