Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Unnao Rape Convict Kuldeep Singh Sengar's Bail Plea In Survivor's Father's Death Case, Directs High Court For 'Out Of Turn' Hearing

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant immediate relief, or intervene, in Unnao Rape case convict Kuldeep Singh Sengar's plea seeking suspension of his 10-year sentence over the death case of the survivor's father. He has been in custody since April 13, 2018. This was his third attempt for relief in the given case.

While declining to suspend Sengar’s 10-year sentence in the case, the apex court instructed the Delhi High Court to hear the case "out-of-turn" if necessary, and decide his appeal within the next three months. This comes as a major setback to the former Uttar Pradesh MLA. Previously the Delhi High Court on January 19 had rejected Sengar's plea seeking suspension of his 10-year sentence over the death case of the survivor's father.

Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Sengar, told the top court that his client had completed over nine years of the 10-year term. 

Advocate Mahmood Pracha, appearing for the victim, said that they have filed an appeal to enhance the sentence by converting the conviction from Section 304 to Section 302 IPC. A bench led by led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and NV Anjaria also directed the High Court to hear the victim's appeal to enhance the sentence along with the convict's plea. It also questioned Sengar's plea, calling the grounds cited in the plea 'not a relevant consideration for suspension of sentence' since he is already serving life imprisonment in another case.

According to reports, the bench expressed disapproval over Advcoate Pracha giving statements to the media about the case. "We are also aware of the media trial going on in this case, which we don't approve of it. You have no business to go the media if you are engaging as counsel in this, as CJI, I can't tolerate all these things," CJI said.

Earlier, Sengar was granted bail over the rape case on December 23, 2025. A massive nationwide outrage had followed. The Supreme Court, on December 29, stayed a Delhi High Court order suspending ex-BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar's life term, acknowledging a responsibility to the survivor and issuing notice to the ex-Bharatiya Janata Party leader based on a plea by the Central Bureau of Investigation, challenging the High Court order. Sengar was given four weeks to respond. Advocate Mehmood Pracha, counsel for the survivor, had argued that Kuldeep Singh Sengar does not deserve bail as there is a persistent threat to the victim and to her family.

The case against Sengar on survivor's father's death

When the minor rape survivor's father was viciously attacked by the accused in broad daylight in April 2018, her family had travelled to Unnao for a court appearance. The father was detained by the police the very following day on suspicion of illegal possession of arms. He succumbed to several injuries sustained while in police custody.

The trial of five cases in the matter, including the case concerning the victim's father's death, was transferred from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi, by the Supreme Court, in August 2019. Sengar was convicted for conspiring to kill the victim's father on March 04, 2020.

In June 2024, the Delhi High Court had rejected his first plea for suspension of sentence in the case. 

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