Delhi HC Suspends Life Sentence, Grants Bail to Kuldeep Singh Sengar in Unnao Rape Case

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on 23 December 2025 granted bail to former Uttar Pradesh legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case, suspending the life sentence imposed on him during the pendency of his criminal appeal challenging the conviction. The order was passed by a Division Bench comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar.

Sengar was convicted by a trial court in December 2019 for the kidnapping and rape of a minor girl and was sentenced to imprisonment for life along with a fine of ₹25 lakh. His appeal against the conviction has been pending before the Delhi High Court, to which the trial was transferred on the directions of the Supreme Court.

While allowing the application for suspension of sentence, the High Court observed that the appellant had already undergone substantial incarceration. The Court also took note of the fact that the appeal was not likely to be heard in the immediate future. Emphasising that the power to suspend a sentence during the pendency of an appeal must be exercised judiciously, the Bench noted that continued incarceration cannot be punitive when the appeal itself is yet to be adjudicated.

The Court imposed stringent conditions while granting bail. It directed that Sengar shall furnish a personal bond of ₹15 lakh along with three sureties of the like amount. The Bench further directed that he shall remain within the National Capital Territory of Delhi and shall not leave the territory without prior permission of the Court. It was also ordered that he shall mark his presence before the concerned police station once every week and deposit his passport with the trial court.

Importantly, the Court imposed specific restrictions to safeguard the survivor. It directed that Sengar shall not enter within a five-kilometre radius of the victim’s residence and shall not attempt to contact, influence, or intimidate the survivor or any prosecution witness. The Bench made it clear that any violation of the conditions would entail immediate cancellation of bail.

Recording its caution, the Court observed:
“The suspension of sentence is granted subject to strict compliance of the conditions imposed. Any infraction shall be viewed seriously and would be sufficient ground for cancellation of bail.”

The High Court clarified that the suspension of sentence was confined only to the conviction in the rape case and would not affect Sengar’s custody in other cases. Notably, Sengar has also been convicted in a separate case relating to the custodial death of the survivor’s father and continues to remain in custody in connection with that sentence.

The Unnao rape case had attracted nationwide attention due to the sequence of events following the assault, including the death of the survivor’s father in custody and a subsequent road accident that critically injured the survivor and her counsel. In 2019, the Supreme Court transferred all related cases from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi, citing concerns over a fair trial and witness protection.

Case Details:

Case Title: Kuldeep Singh Sengar v. Central Bureau of Investigation

Case No.: Criminal Appeal No. 53 of 2020 with Criminal Miscellaneous Bail Application

Court: High Court of Delhi

Bench: Justice Subramonium Prasad and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar

Date of Order: 23 December 2025