SC permits airlifting of Unnao victim to Delhi's AIIMS

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed a plea by the mother of the Unnao rape victim to airlift her from Lucknow to Delhi's AIIMS as she had developed pneumonia after being critically injured in a road accident on July 28 which claimed lives of her two aunts and left her lawyer with grievous injuries.

A bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose said before transferring her, the doctors at Lucknow should ascertain if she was fit to be shifted to Delhi.

“In view of the request of the mother, we direct the State of Uttar Pradesh to airlift the victim by air-ambulance to Delhi and transfer her to AIIMS today itself, if so permitted. The authorities at AIIMS are directed to make necessary arrangements for her proper treatment and care,” the top court said.

The bench said in case the family members of the injured lawyer also made a similar request, he should also be airlifted for admission to All India Institute of Medical Sciences here.

During the hearing, the court was informed that the victim's uncle has now been shifted to Tihar jail as per the direction.

In a related development, a Delhi court directed that expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, accused of raping the minor girl at his residence in Unnao in 2017, be shifted to Tihar jail here from Sitapur prison in Uttar Pradesh. Sessions Judge Dharmesh Sharma put up the matter for argument on charges in the gang rape—one of the four related cases transferred to Delhi—for August 7.

Both Sengar and his accomplice Shashi Singh, were produced before District judge Dinesh Sharma who directed them to be shifted to Tihar jail. The top court had earlier transferred the five cases, except the accident one, to Delhi court and gave it 45 days to conclude the trial.