The Supreme Court on Monday stayed Delhi high court's order that suspended ex-BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar's life sentence and granted him bail in the Unnao rape case.
“…In view of peculiar facts where convict is convicted for a separate offence, we stay operation of Delhi high court order dated December 23, 2025. Thus respondent (Sengar) shall not be released pursuant to the said order," CJI Surya Kant said.
On December 23, the Delhi high court put Sengar’s jail sentence on hold while his appeal was pending, saying that he has already spent seven years and five months in prison, and granted him conditional bail.
Notably, the high court ruled that Sengar could not be treated as a public servant under Section 5(c) of the POCSO Act or Section 376(2)(b) of the IPC. This led the CBI to move the Supreme Court.
The high court’s order led to massive protests, in which the survivor also joined to demand justice.
Sengar was convicted in December 2019 in the Unnao rape case and handed life imprisonment along with a fine of ₹25 lakh.
Earlier on Sunday, the survivor said she believes she would receive justice from the Supreme Court.
While speaking at a protest organised by the All India Progressive Women Association (AIPWA) in the national capital, the Unnao rape survivor alleged that Sengar had paid bribes to officials, including the CBI investigating officer and a Delhi high court judge.
During the protest, the demonstrators shouted slogans against what they called undue leniency shown to the convict, saying the steps taken so far did not meet public expectations.
