Ishita Sengar, daughter of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar—convicted in the 2017 Unnao rape case—has issued an emotional open letter appealing for justice after the Supreme Court stayed the Delhi High Court’s order granting her father bail.
In a lengthy post on social media platform X, Ishita said she was writing “as a daughter who is exhausted, frightened, and slowly losing faith,” adding that her family has faced years of threats, abuse, and social ostracism during the prolonged legal battle.
Her letter came amid nationwide reactions welcoming the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the High Court order that had suspended Sengar’s life sentence pending appeal.
“What Kind of Power Leaves Us Voiceless?”
Questioning the perception that her family is influential, Ishita wrote that being labelled “powerful” has brought them no relief. “What kind of power leaves a family voiceless for eight years?” she asked, describing how her identity is often reduced to “the daughter of a BJP MLA,” stripping her, she said, of dignity and humanity.
She alleged that she has repeatedly faced rape and death threats online, and claimed her family has been “abused, mocked, and dehumanised” continuously since the case began. According to her, silence was not a sign of privilege but an expression of faith in institutions and the judicial process.
Eight Years of Waiting
Ishita in her letter expressed that her family decided not to make public protests nor to draw media attention, being sure that the truth would win out eventually through the legal process. Nevertheless, she contended that this silence bore a huge toll—unded their version of the events being ignored—emotionally, financially, and socially.
She even voiced her worry about what she called an atmosphere of fear, where public outrage and misinformation could easily cover the truth and the legal process, thus, making ordinary citizens defenseless.
“I am not asking for favour or sympathy,” she wrote. “I am writing because I am terrified and because I still believe someone, somewhere, will care enough to listen.”
Supreme Court Stay and Survivor’s Response
On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a stay on the December 23 order of the Delhi High Court which had temporarily halted the life sentence of Sengar and subsequently released him. The highest court was deliberating over the plea of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that had challenged the bail order and simultaneously issued a notice to Sengar demanding his answer.
The Unnao rape victim welcomed the intervention of the Supreme Court by saying that she was happy and had gained new faith in the justice system. “I am very happy with this decision. I have got justice from the Supreme Court,” she was quoted as saying by PTI.
Case Background
Kuldeep Singh Sengar was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2019 after being found guilty under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He has served over seven years of the sentence already. The Delhi High Court had earlier stressed the period of his detention and stayed his sentence during the time his appeal was being heard, a decision now overturned by the Supreme Court.
The matter continues to capture the attention of the public in the whole country and brings to light the major divisions that exist with respect to justice, public opinion, and procedural fairness.
