The daughter of Unnao rape case convict and former MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar has penned an emotional open letter, saying her family feels “exhausted, frightened, and gradually losing faith” after eight years of prolonged legal battles.
Ishita Sengar shared the letter on social media on the same day the Supreme Court stayed a Delhi High Court order that had suspended her father’s life sentence. The apex court also directed that Sengar should remain in custody while it examines the Central Bureau of Investigation’s challenge to the High Court ruling.
In her statement, Ishita said her family chose patience and silence for years, believing that justice in India is guided by the Constitution rather than public outrage or social media campaigns. She added that being identified primarily as the “daughter of a BJP MLA” has often stripped her of dignity and the right to express her own voice.
Describing the online abuse she has faced, Ishita wrote that she has repeatedly been subjected to threats, hateful messages and calls for violence simply because of her identity. She said the hostility was constant and deeply damaging, leaving lasting emotional scars.
According to her letter, the family has endured daily ridicule and dehumanisation, along with severe financial, emotional and physical strain. She claimed their version of events was ignored not due to lack of evidence, but because it was seen as inconvenient.
She further expressed concern that fear now dominates the system — a fear that she believes pressures judges, journalists and institutions into silence rather than independent judgment.
Meanwhile, a vacation bench of the Supreme Court issued notice to Kuldeep Sengar, asking him to respond to the CBI’s plea. The court also raised concerns over the High Court’s interpretation of the term “public servant” under the POCSO Act, warning that excluding elected representatives from its scope could lead to serious legal inconsistencies.
After the Supreme Court’s intervention, Aishwarya Sengar — another daughter of the former MLA and a member of his legal team — said the defence was not allowed to present arguments on the merits of the case. She pointed to alleged inconsistencies in the survivor’s statements, medical reports and call data records, and urged the media to avoid spreading misinformation.
Kuldeep Sengar was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019 after being convicted of raping a minor in 2017. The case has been marked by multiple tragedies, including the death of the survivor’s father in police custody and the deaths of two relatives in a car accident in 2019. The High Court had earlier suspended Sengar’s sentence pending appeal, a decision now put on hold by the Supreme Court.
