New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to former Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case, suspending his life sentence while his appeal against conviction remains pending. The order has renewed national attention on one of the most controversial criminal cases involving political power and sexual violence.
A Bench comprising Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidynathan Shankar allowed Sengar’s plea for suspension of sentence, imposing strict conditions. The court directed that Sengar must remain in Delhi during the bail period, barred him from entering a five-kilometre radius of the survivor’s residence, and ordered him to report to the police every Monday. Any violation, the Bench warned, would lead to immediate cancellation of bail.
Sengar was convicted in December 2019 by a Delhi trial court for raping a minor in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined ₹25 lakh after being found guilty of rape, kidnapping, criminal intimidation, and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The case dates back to June 2017, when the survivor, then 17, alleged that she was abducted and repeatedly raped over several days. She and her family later claimed they faced sustained threats and intimidation, allegedly discouraging them from pursuing legal action. An FIR was registered only after prolonged public pressure and intervention by the Allahabad High Court.
In August 2019, the Supreme Court transferred the trial from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi, citing safety concerns and the need for a fair process. While convicting Sengar, the trial court observed that as a public representative he had betrayed public trust.
