New Delhi: The family of the Unnao rape victim, alongside women's rights activists, held a demonstration outside the Delhi High Court on Friday, protesting the court's recent decision to grant conditional bail to the convict Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

The protest drew a swift response from law enforcement, with police officials warning the group that demonstrating at the site was prohibited. "Demonstrating here is prohibited and illegal. Legal action may be taken against you after five minutes. If you want to protest, go to Jantar Mantar," an officer told the gathering.

Expressing deep disillusionment with the judiciary, the victim's mother called for the immediate revocation of the bail and announced plans to escalate the matter. "His bail should be rejected... We will knock on the doors of the Supreme Court. We have lost faith in the High Court," she told ANI. She further stated that if justice is not served by the nation's highest court, she would seek it abroad, adding that the individual responsible for her husband's death should face execution.

Women's rights activist Yogita Bhayana, who joined the demonstration, described their presence as a peaceful appeal for the reversal of what she termed an injustice. Bhayana urged the court to hear their upcoming petition and asserted that the right to protest remains their final recourse if justice is denied.

The court's ruling also drew sharp criticism from political leaders. Congress leader Mumtaz Patel characterised the decision as a "huge setback" that could damage the confidence of women nationwide. "This is a huge setback, the way the High Court has given Sengar a free pass on a technicality. This is setting a very bad precedent in the country," Patel remarked, questioning how the ruling would affect the morale of survivors.

The Delhi High Court had earlier suspended the life sentence of Sengar, a former MLA, pending his appeal. He was convicted in 2019 for the rape of a minor. While the court granted him bail on a personal bond of Rs 15 lakh, Sengar will remain in custody as he has yet to receive similar relief in a separate case involving the custodial death of the victim's father, for which he is serving a 10-year term.

As part of his bail conditions, the court mandated that Sengar stay within Delhi and prohibited him from entering a 5-kilometre radius around the victim’s residence. He is also strictly forbidden from contacting the victim's family members.

With inputs from ANI