Delhi HC Suspends Kuldeep Sengar’s Life Imprisonment in Unnao Rape Case

The Delhi High Court today (December 23), suspended the life sentence of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who was convicted in the Unnao rape case. The order was passed by a division bench comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar.

The suspension of sentence, however, comes with certain conditions. Sengar has been directed to remain in Delhi while his appeal is pending. He must sign a personal bond of Rs. 15 lakh, backed by three sureties of the same amount. His passport has to be surrendered to the court, preventing him from leaving the country. The High Court has put Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s life sentence on hold while his appeal is being heard. He is challenging the trial court’s December 2019 verdict that found him guilty in the rape case.  

"We are suspending the sentence. Personal bond of Rs. 15 Lakh with three sureties of like amount...Not to come within 5 km radius of the residence of victim. Directed to stay in Delhi during the pendency of the appeal. Ensure that he is available for completing remaining part of sentence if in case he is found guilty. Directed not to threaten victim survivor or the mother...deposit his passport with the trial court. Directed to report to local police station once a week, every Monday at 10am," reads the Court order.

To ensure victim protection, the court has barred Sengar from contacting or threatening the survivor or her mother. He is also prohibited from entering within five kilometres of the victim’s residence. In addition, he must report to his local police station every Monday at 10 a.m. Failure to comply could result in his return to prison.

The court clarified that suspension of sentence does not amount to acquittal. If his appeal fails, Sengar will have to surrender and serve the remainder of his sentence.

The case that shocked the nation

Sengar was convicted in 2019 for the gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh in 2017. The victim was kidnapped and assaulted repeatedly between June 11 and June 20, 2017, and was later recovered at the Makhi police station. A trial court in Delhi sentenced Sengar to life imprisonment after the Supreme Court transferred the case from Uttar Pradesh, following a petition by the survivor.

In a related case, Sengar was also convicted for his role in the custodial death of the victim’s father in 2018. The trial court sentenced him to 10 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh. His brother, Atul Singh Sengar, and five others were also convicted in that case.

Earlier this year, Sengar was granted interim bail for cataract surgery at AIIMS, and a similar relief was given in December 2024.

Read More: Unnao Rape Case: HC Grants Interim Bail to Kuldeep Sengar Till Tuesday for Eye Surgery