During a protest, the Unnao rape survivor’s mother said the bail should be rejected and emphasised that she would approach the Supreme Court for justice, expressing loss of faith in the High Court’s verdict. (PTI)

The survivor of the 2017 Unnao rape case, along with her mother, approached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday, alleging collusion between the agency’s investigating officer and former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who was convicted in the case.

The survivor and her mother were seen at the CBI office to formally lodge their complaint.

The move comes amid growing anger and disappointment over recent developments in the case, particularly after the Delhi High Court granted conditional bail to Sengar while suspending his life sentence in the rape case.

The survivor has openly questioned the role of the CBI, accusing the agency of delaying its response and failing to act impartially.

Earlier, the survivor expressed shock and anguish over the High Court’s order, stating that she felt deeply hurt by the decision.

Following the High Court order, the CBI has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court, seeking to challenge the suspension of Sengar’s life sentence and the grant of bail.

Officials said the decision to move the apex court was taken after examining the High Court’s ruling in detail.

The survivor alleged that the investigating officer had met Sengar, raising serious concerns about the fairness of the probe. “What was the CBI doing all this while?” she asked, alleging nexus between the accused and the investigating agency.

The survivor has also indicated that she plans to independently challenge the bail order in the Supreme Court.

Her counsel, advocate Mehmood Pracha, is expected to file a petition seeking reversal of the High Court’s decision. She said she hopes the apex court will ensure justice in the matter.

A division bench of the Delhi High Court, comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, granted Sengar bail on the condition that he furnishes a bond of Rs 15 lakh.

The court also directed that he must not enter a five-kilometre radius of the area in Delhi where the survivor resides, must remain within Delhi, and must not contact the victim or her family.

Despite the relief in the rape case, Sengar will continue to remain in custody as he has not been granted bail in connection with the custodial death of the survivor’s father.

He was sentenced to 10 years in that case, and his appeal along with an application for suspension of sentence, is still pending before the Delhi High Court.