Unnao rape survivor father's death: Delhi HC extends Sengar's interim bail

The Delhi High Court on Friday extended by three days, the interim bail of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Sengar, serving a 10-year jail term in the custodial death case of the Unnao rape survivor's father.

Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri, while hearing Sengar's plea to extend the interim bail on medical grounds, adjourned the matter to 23 December after being informed that an HC division bench was also hearing a similar plea in the main Unnao rape case. "Renotify on Monday (December 23). Till then the interim bail is extended on the same previous conditions," the judge said.

Justice Ohri was informed that the matter was also listed before the division bench on Friday and an order was awaited.

A bench of justices Prathiba M. Singh and Amit Sharma, while dealing with the main Unnao rape case during the day, considered the medical report submitted by AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) with respect to Sengar's health and remarked that it would extend his interim bail by four weeks.

The AIIMS report said necessary surgical intervention was performed after Sengar was evaluated by a team of doctors. The senior counsel appearing for Sengar sought the extension of interim bail by five months to ensure necessary care and further treatment. "He needs to be kept where there is no infection. He can lose his vision," he submitted.

The division bench on 5 December directed interim suspension of his sentence till 20 December. Noting that Sengar was granted similar relief by the division bench in the rape case, the single judge suspended his sentence till 20 December in the custodial death case and granted him 10 days of interim bail.

The division bench ordered Sengar's admission in AIIMS, New Delhi, for a comprehensive review of his medical condition. He was convicted of raping the minor survivor and sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life on 20 December 2019.

Sengar's appeal challenging the trial court's verdict in the rape case is pending in the high court. He sought quashing of the 16 December 2019 trial court judgment convicting him in the rape case. Sengar also sought setting aside of the sentencing order in the rape case.

The girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped by Sengar in 2017 when she was a minor. On 13 March 2020, Sengar was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by the trial court, which also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh, in the custodial death case of the rape survivor's father. The trial court said "no leniency" could be shown for killing a family's "sole bread earner".

The girl's father was arrested at the alleged behest of Sengar under the Arms Act and died in custody on 9 April 2018, reportedly owing to police brutality.