Supreme Court Stays Unnao Rape Convict Sengar's Life Sentence Suspension
Former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar will remain in custody; next hearing scheduled for late January 2026
Dec 29, 2025 – In a major ruling, the Supreme Court on Monday (December 29) stayed the Delhi High Court sentence suspension order of former MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case. A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Augustine George Masih were hearing a petition challenging the suspension of Sengar’s sentence.
The Supreme Court directed that the 59-year-old former BJP MLA should not be released from custody and asked him to file a response within four weeks saying the matter would be heard in the last week of January.
“Tentatively, we are inclined to stay the order. Generally, the principle is that once a person has walked out, the court does not take away liberty,” CJI Kant said, adding, “but here the situation is peculiar since he is inside the jail for another case”.
The Delhi High Court had, on December 23, suspended the life sentence awarded to Sengar saying he had already served seven years and five months in jail. He was granted conditional bail till the pendency of his appeal. He, was, however, not granted bail for the 10 years he was serving for the custodial death case of the victim’s father.
Two petitions had been filed challenging the December 23 High Court order – one by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and another by advocates Anjale Patel and Pooja Shilpkar.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing for the CBI, said, “"POCSO Act to have overriding effect...this convict also held guilty of killing the survivor's father and some other people...he is still in jail...he has not been able to come out...I urge your lordships to stay the order. We are answerable to the child who was 15 years old!”.
Sengar was convicted and handed a life term in December 2019, in the Unnao rape case of 2017.
With Media Inputs
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