The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation regarding former BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s plea to suspend his 10-year jail sentence on medical grounds.
Sengar was convicted for the custodial death of the father of the Unnao rape survivor.
On Tuesday, Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued a notice restricted to medical grounds and directed jail authorities to submit a report on Sengar’s health status. The court scheduled the next hearing for January 13, 2024.
During the hearing, the CBI’s counsel highlighted that Sengar’s earlier request to suspend his sentence was dismissed by the High Court in June this year. However, Sengar’s lawyer argued that his client’s health has deteriorated, presenting it as a medical emergency. The lawyer also noted that Sengar has been in jail for eight years, close to the maximum 10-year sentence in this case, and his appeal challenging the conviction remains unresolved.
Sengar, already serving a life sentence for raping a minor in the infamous 2017 Unnao rape case, is appealing both his rape conviction and the custodial death sentencing. He is contesting the trial court’s December 2019 verdict, which sentenced him to life imprisonment for the rape and 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for the custodial death case.
The case dates back to 2017 when the minor survivor was kidnapped and raped by Sengar. Her father was later arrested under the Arms Act at Sengar’s behest and died in custody on April 9, 2018, following brutal police treatment.
In March 2020, the trial court convicted Sengar in the custodial death case, emphasizing that “no leniency” was warranted as the victim’s father was the family’s “sole breadwinner.” Alongside Sengar, his brother Atul Singh Sengar and five others received 10-year jail terms for their roles in the custodial death.
While the court did not find the accused guilty of murder, it sentenced them under Section 304 of the IPC for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, ruling there was no intent to kill.
The Supreme Court had earlier transferred the case to Delhi from Uttar Pradesh to ensure a fair trial. The transfer order came on August 1, 2019, following public outrage and concerns about judicial impartiality in the state.
Sengar’s latest plea brings renewed attention to one of India’s most high-profile cases, with the judiciary now balancing medical concerns against the gravity of his crimes.
