Unnao rape case: Delhi HC suspends jail term of Kuldeep Sengar, grants bail

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday, 23 December suspended the sentence of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who is serving life imprisonment in the Unnao rape case, and ordered his release on bail pending the outcome of his appeal.

A bench comprising Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar granted bail to Sengar after staying the execution of his sentence for the duration of the appellate proceedings. The court directed him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 15 lakh along with three sureties of the same amount.

Imposing stringent conditions, the high court barred Sengar from entering within a five-kilometre radius of the survivor’s residence and explicitly restrained him from threatening or attempting to influence the victim or her mother in any manner.

“Violation of any of the conditions would lead to cancellation of bail,” the bench cautioned, making it clear that the relief was conditional and could be withdrawn if any of the safeguards were breached.

The suspension of sentence will remain in force until the disposal of Sengar’s appeal challenging his conviction and life term awarded by a trial court in December 2019. That verdict held him guilty of kidnapping and raping a minor girl in 2017, a case that had triggered nationwide outrage and intense scrutiny of political power and impunity.

Given the sensitivity of the matter and concerns over the safety of the survivor, the rape case, along with several connected cases, was transferred from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi on the directions of the Supreme Court of India on 1 August 2019. The apex court had stepped in after allegations of intimidation of witnesses and systemic failures in the investigation and trial process.

Apart from the rape conviction, Sengar is also serving a 10-year prison sentence in a separate but related case concerning the custodial death of the survivor’s father. His appeal in that case is likewise pending before the Delhi High Court. In those proceedings, Sengar has sought suspension of his sentence on the ground that he has already spent a substantial period behind bars.

Tuesday’s order does not amount to an acquittal, but provides temporary relief to the former MLA as the court examines the merits of his appeal. The development is likely to reignite debate around bail, sentence suspension, and accountability in cases involving politically influential convicts, particularly those linked to crimes against women.

With PTI inputs