Unnao Rape: Delhi HC Dismisses Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s Plea to Suspend Sentence

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to suspend the 10-year jail term of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the custodial death case of the Unnao rape survivor's father on the grounds of delay in trial, saying it was partly caused by the multiple applications he had filed in the matter.

"The application seeking suspension of sentence is dismissed," said Justice Ravinder Dudeja. The judge observed that while Kuldeep has undergone prolonged incarceration of about seven-and-a-half years, relief could not be granted on the ground of delay alone, as the appellant had repeatedly moved applications for interim suspension, extension of bail and regular suspension of sentence.

"Purpose would be served if the appeal were heard on merit in an expeditious manner," Justice Dudeja said. "In the facts and circumstances and after considering the statutory framework, the judicial principles governing suspension, the antecedents of the appellant and the absence of any new circumstance that has emerged, the court finds no ground to grant relief," the court opined. The court listed the appeal for hearing on February 3.

Reacting to the order, the rape survivor said the verdict had brought her a sense of relief. Speaking to the media over the phone from Delhi, she said the decision gave her some solace. “I am very happy with the court’s decision. Today, my father’s soul has found some peace,” she said. She added that she would continue her fight until all those responsible for her assault and her father’s death face the strictest punishment.

Kuldeep was sentenced in March 2020 to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, along with a fine of 10 lakh, in the custodial death case. The trial court had ruled that no leniency could be shown in the killing of a family’s sole breadwinner. It had also awarded a 10-year jail term to Kuldeep's brother, Atul Singh Sengar, and five others for their role in the custodial killing of the rape survivor's father.

The father was arrested at the behest of Sengar under the Arms Act and died in custody on April 9, 2018, owing to police brutalities. Sengar had kidnapped the minor and raped her in 2017. The trial court, which did not hold the accused guilty of murder under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the father's case, awarded the maximum sentence for the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder to convicts under Section 304 of the IPC after holding that there was no intention to kill.

Kuldeep's appeals in the main rape case against the December 2019 judgement convicting him and sentencing him to imprisonment for the remainder of his life, as well as the father's case, are pending in the high court. His sentence was suspended by the high court on December 23, 2025, till the pendency of his appeal challenging his conviction and sentence in the rape case. The suspension was stayed by the Supreme Court on December 29, 2025.