HC grants bail to Kuldeep Sengar in Unnao rape case on bond of 15 lakh; suspends jail term

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted a major legal reprieve to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar by suspending his life sentence in the 2017 Unnao rape case. A bench consisting of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar ordered his release on bail pending the final disposal of his appeal against the 2019 conviction. The court required Sengar to furnish a personal bond of ₹15 lakh along with three sureties of the same amount to secure his temporary freedom.

While granting bail, the High Court imposed several stringent conditions to ensure the safety of the victim and her family. Sengar has been strictly directed not to enter a 5 km radius of the victim's residence and has been prohibited from contacting or threatening the survivor or her mother. Additionally, he is required to remain within the jurisdiction of Delhi throughout the bail period. The bench warned that any breach of these conditions would result in the immediate cancellation of his bail.

The case, which involves the abduction and rape of a minor girl in 2017, was famously transferred from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi in 2019 following a Supreme Court intervention. Sengar was convicted in December 2019 by a trial court and sentenced to life imprisonment. The current suspension of his sentence applies specifically to the rape case, while his appeal in a related case concerning the custodial death of the victim's father—where he received a 10-year term—remains pending before the court.