The Delhi High Court on Tuesday suspended the jail sentence of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who is serving life imprisonment in the 2017 Unnao rape case, and granted him bail pending the hearing of his appeal.
A bench comprising Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar ordered Sengar’s release on bail, directing him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 15 lakh along with three sureties of the same amount.
Bail granted with strict conditions
While allowing the suspension of sentence, the court imposed multiple conditions on Sengar to ensure the safety of the survivor and her family. He has been barred from entering within a 5-km radius of the victim’s residence and has also been restrained from contacting or intimidating the survivor or her mother.
“Violation of any of the conditions would lead to cancellation of bail,” the court said.
The high court clarified that the suspension of sentence will remain in force during the pendency of Sengar’s appeal challenging his conviction and life sentence awarded by a trial court in December 2019.
Appeal pending in multiple cases
Sengar was convicted for the kidnapping and rape of a minor girl in 2017. Following concerns over fair trial, the Supreme Court had transferred the rape case and other related matters from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi on August 1, 2019.
Apart from the rape conviction, Sengar’s appeal is also pending in connection with the custodial death of the survivor’s father. In that case, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and has sought suspension of sentence, citing the substantial period already spent behind bars.
The high court is yet to take a final call on his plea in the custodial death case.