A petition has been filed before the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court’s decision to suspend the jail sentence of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case. The plea, moved by advocates Anjale Patel and Pooja Shilpkar, seeks a stay on the high court order, arguing that it was passed without adequately considering the gravity of the crime and the trial court’s observation that Sengar should remain in prison for the rest of his natural life.
The petitioners contended that the High Court committed a serious error in law and facts by granting suspension of sentence despite Sengar’s criminal antecedents and his proven involvement in what they described as a brutal and heinous crime. The plea further alleged that the court failed to appreciate prosecution evidence showing his misuse of power and influence, including the custodial death of the survivor’s father, which it claimed was orchestrated to silence the family and derail the justice process.
On December 23, the Delhi High Court suspended Sengar’s life sentence in the rape case, noting that he had already spent over seven years in prison, pending the disposal of his appeal against the 2019 conviction. However, Sengar will continue to remain in jail as he is also serving a 10-year sentence in the custodial death case of the victim’s father, in which bail has not been granted. The High Court imposed strict conditions, including a ₹15 lakh personal bond, restrictions on entering areas near the survivor’s residence, and a warning that any violation would lead to cancellation of bail. The case, originally tried in Uttar Pradesh, was transferred to Delhi in 2019 on the directions of the Supreme Court.
