While refusing to entertain Sengar’s plea challenging a January 19 order of the High Court, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N.V. Anjaria said that any appeal filed by the victim’s family should also be heard by the High Court along with Sengar’s petition
BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar. File Pic
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Delhi High Court to give an out-of-turn hearing to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s plea challenging his conviction in the custodial death case of the Unnao rape survivor’s father, and to decide it within three months.
While refusing to entertain Sengar’s plea challenging a January 19 order of the High Court, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N.V. Anjaria said that any appeal filed by the victim’s family should also be heard by the High Court along with Sengar’s petition, reported news agency PTI.
Sengar moves Supreme Court after HC refuses to suspend 10-year jail term
The bench was hearing Sengar’s plea challenging the High Court’s refusal to suspend his 10-year jail term in the case.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice expressed disapproval of the victim’s counsel making statements to the media about the case. “We are not sitting in an ivory tower. We know a media trial is going on outside,” Justice Kant said, adding that he would not tolerate any “parallel trial” outside the court, reported PTI.
The bench was informed that Sengar’s appeal is scheduled to be heard by the High Court on February 11.
On March 13, 2020, a trial court sentenced Sengar to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh in the custodial death case, observing that “no leniency” could be shown for the killing of a family’s “sole breadwinner.”
Crime dates back to 2017 when minor survivor was abducted and raped
The rape survivor’s father was arrested under the Arms Act at Sengar’s behest and died in custody on April 9, 2018, due to alleged police brutality. Sengar had kidnapped and raped the minor survivor in 2017.
While the trial court did not convict Sengar of murder under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), it awarded the maximum sentence for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the IPC, holding that there was no intention to kill, reported PTI.
Sengar’s appeals in the main rape case, against the December 2019 judgment sentencing him to imprisonment for the remainder of his life, and in the custodial death case are pending before the High Court.
The High Court had suspended his sentence in the rape case on December 23, 2025, pending his appeal, but the Supreme Court stayed the suspension on December 29.
(With PTI inputs)
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