Delhi, 28 December (H.S.): The Supreme Court will on Monday hear the Central Bureau of Investigation’s plea challenging the Delhi High Court order that suspended the life sentence and granted bail to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case.

According to the causelist published by the apex court, a three-judge vacation bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, and comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih, will take up the matter for hearing.

The CBI has approached the Supreme Court against the December 23 order of the Delhi High Court allowing Sengar’s application for suspension of sentence during the pendency of his appeal. Earlier, both the investigating agency and the survivor’s family had indicated their intent to challenge the High Court’s decision.

Before the Delhi High Court, the CBI had strongly opposed Sengar’s plea, citing the gravity of the offence and potential risks involved. However, a division bench suspended the life sentence and granted him conditional bail during the pendency of his appeal, subject to strict conditions.

The High Court directed Sengar’s release on a personal bond of Rs 15 lakh with three sureties of the like amount. It also ordered that he shall not enter within a five-kilometre radius of the survivor’s residence and shall remain in Delhi for the duration of the bail period. The court made it clear that any violation of the conditions would result in cancellation of bail.

The Unnao rape case had sparked nationwide outrage. In December 2019, a trial court convicted Sengar of kidnapping and raping a minor girl and sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life, along with a fine of Rs 25 lakh.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had transferred all cases related to the incident from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi and directed that the trial be conducted on a day-to-day basis.

Meanwhile, the survivor’s family members and women’s rights activists have protested against the suspension of Sengar’s sentence, stating that the bail order has shaken public faith and sent a wrong message on crimes against women.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar