New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to "not detain, but arrest" BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who is accused of raping an 18-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DB Bhosale and Justice Suneet Kumar gave the direction to the agency after the counsel for the Uttar Pradesh government informed it that Sengar has been detained for interrogation and not arrested yet.
The court directed the CBI to carry out investigation strictly in accordance with law and to consider filing an application for cancellation of bail granted to other accused in the case.
The court said that it will monitor the probe and asked the authorities to submit a progress report in the matter by May 2.
The bench passed the order on a letter written by senior advocate Gopal Swaroop Chaturvedi demanding a court-monitored investigation of the incident and treated it as a PIL.
The MLA was taken into custody by CBI from his Lucknow residence in the early hours of Friday.
The decision to hand over the twin cases, of the alleged rape of the woman and the custodial death of her father, was taken after the Special Investigation Team constituted under Additional Director General of Police (Lucknow zone) to look into the matter submitted its report to the government.
The MLA was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and POCSO at Unnao’s Makhi Police Station on Thursday morning, hours after he made a dramatic appearance before the police but refused to surrender.
The matter came to light after the woman attempted suicide outside the residence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday, triggering a massive row over women's safety in Uttar Pradesh
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