Unnao rape survivor accident case: Delhi court frames charges against truck driver, others

A Delhi Court on Tuesday formally framed charges against the truck driver and three others in the Unnao rape survivor's accident case.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Ravindra Kumar Pandey formally framed charges against driver Ashish Kumar Pal for offences under section 279 (rash driving)/338 (causing grievous hurt) and 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The Court also formally framed charges against accused Vinod Mishra, accused Haripal Singh and accused Naveen Singh.

The accident had taken place in 2019 when the Unnao rape victim was on her way to Rae Bareli. A truck rammed into the vehicle in which the girl was travelling with her two aunts and lawyer. While her aunts succumbed to their injuries, she and her lawyer were grievously injured.

As four of them pleaded not guilty and claimed for trial, the Court marked the matter before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Rouse Avenue Court with a request to mark the same for further trial to the regular Court of competent jurisdiction.

The Court directed the accused persons to appear before CMM Rouse Avenue Court on December 22.

ACMM Ravindra Kumar Pandey is designated Court to deal with matters against MP/MLA. As one of the accused Kuldeep Singh Sengar was a former MLA, was discharged from the case and the rest other four accused were not sitting or former MP/MLA.

Delhi's Rouse Avenue court on Monday discharged Kuldeep Singh Senger in the 2019 accident case of Unnao rape survivor saying that no charges are made out against Senger in the present case.

The Court discharged Kuldeep Singh Senger and five other accused observing that prima facie there is no evidence against these accused persons -- Senger, Komal Singh, Arun Singh, Gyanendra Singh, Rinku Singh and, Awdesh Singh.

However, the court orders to frame charges against four accused Ashish Kumar Pal, Vinod Mishra, Haripal Singh and Naveen Singh. The court said that is prima facie sufficient evidence against these accused persons.

As per the charge sheet, on July 28, 2019, between 12.45 pm to 12.50 pm, accused Ashish Kumar Pal was driving the truck on the wrong side of the road coming from Rai Bareilly side towards Lalganj side in a rash and negligent manner and due to which, the car being driven by Mahender Singh Advocate collided with the rear portion of the truck resulting into the death of two lady passengers besides grievously injuring the driver Mahender Singh Advocate who later on succumbed to the injuries as also a victim.

The court noted that the charge sheet did not mention any record or evidence regarding the criminal conspiracy between the accused persons with the accused Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

On August 1, 2019, the Supreme Court transferred the case to Delhi from a trial court in Uttar Pradesh. In December 2019, Senger was convicted and jailed for life in a separate case for raping the woman in Unnao in 2017 when she was a minor.

( With inputs from ANI )