On Monday, the Delhi High Court refused to grant bail to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the custodial death of the father of the Unnao rape survivor. The Court emphasized that the serious nature of the offence and potential impact on public confidence in the judiciary preclude suspension of sentence, despite Sengar having served over seven years in custody.
The case stems from the arrest and subsequent custodial death of the minor victim’s father on April 9, 2018, allegedly orchestrated by Sengar, following the rape of the survivor in June 2017. A Delhi court convicted Sengar in March 2020, sentencing him to life imprisonment for rape and 10 years for custodial death.
His bail pleas have faced repeated scrutiny, including a rejection in June 2024, due to the severity of the crimes, Sengar’s criminal antecedents, and the wider ramifications on public trust. The Unnao case had drawn national attention when a lorry attack critically injured the survivor and her lawyer, killing two of her aunts.
Justice Ravinder Dudeja highlighted that delays in appeal proceedings were partly attributable to Sengar filing multiple applications. The Court reaffirmed that factors such as “gravity of the offence, nature of the crime, criminal antecedents of the convict, and impact on public confidence in the judiciary” outweigh considerations for temporary relief.
Consequently, Sengar’s plea for bail and suspension of sentence was denied, with the Court noting the need for continued custodial accountability.
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