In a significant legal development, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed former BJP legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar to walk out on bail by suspending his life imprisonment sentence in the infamous 2017 Unnao rape case, even as his criminal appeal remains pending before the court.
A division bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar passed the order while hearing Sengar’s plea challenging his conviction. The court made it clear that the relief comes with strict safeguards, aimed primarily at ensuring the survivor’s safety and preventing any misuse of liberty.
As part of the bail conditions, Sengar has been barred from entering within a five-kilometre radius of the survivor’s residence. He has also been instructed to stay within Delhi for the duration of the bail period and to mark his presence at the local police station every Monday. The High Court warned that any breach would result in immediate cancellation of bail.
Sengar was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2019 after a trial court found him guilty of raping a minor girl in 2017. The court had also imposed a ₹25 lakh fine, making strong observations about abuse of power and breach of public trust by an elected representative.
According to the prosecution, the survivor, who was 17 at the time, was abducted, sexually assaulted over several days, and later recovered after sustained public pressure. The case drew national attention not only due to the gravity of the crime but also because of allegations of intimidation, police inaction, and the tragic accident that claimed the lives of the survivor’s relatives.
In 2019, the Supreme Court stepped in, transferring the trial to Delhi and ordering a fast-tracked hearing, citing concerns over safety and fairness. While Sengar was later discharged in the separate accident conspiracy case, the rape conviction stood firm and became a symbol of public outrage against political impunity.
The High Court’s latest order does not overturn the conviction but merely suspends the sentence till the appeal is decided.
