The Delhi High Court has extended by four weeks, the interim bail granted to former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case.
The expelled BJP MLA was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a minor girl in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh in 2017. He was also convicted for murdering the victim’s father in connivance with police officers of Makhi, a village in Unnao district. He was awarded a 10-year jail term in the second case.
The former BJP MLA moved the High Court seeking bail in both the cases. His petitions were heard by different Benches.
Earlier, the High Court suspended his life imprisonment on medical grounds till December 20. He moved the High Court again for a five-month extension of his interim bail.
The Division Bench of Justice Pratibha M Singh and Justice Amit Sharma earlier extended Sengar’s interim bail by four weeks, enabling him to recover from the health issues he was facing after an eye surgery and the treatment he underwent for hemorrhoids.
The convict was further permitted to visit the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for a follow-up medical consultation between January 10 to January 15, 2025. The High Court directed him to surrender before the Tihar Jail authorities on January 20.
The High Court imposed certain conditions on Sengar, while extending his medical bail. He was asked not to leave Delhi or change his residence without prior permission from this Court.
The convict was permitted to hire one attendant. Sengar was directed not to leave his residence except for visiting AIIMS for follow-up treatment. He would remain guarded 24×7 by one constable of Delhi Police. He would not have more than two visitors at a time. A CBI officer would remain in touch with Sengar on a daily basis.
The Unnao rape survivor was allegedly kidnapped and raped by Sengar between June 11 and June 20, 2017, when she was a minor. She was allegedly sold for Rs 60,000, and later recovered at the Maakhi police station. The survivor was reportedly threatened and warned by the police officials against speaking out, as instructed by Sengar.
In August 2019, the Supreme Court transferred the trial in all cases relating to the Unnao rape case to Tis Hazari Court in Delhi, on request of the survivor.
Taking cognisance of the rape survivor’s letter written to then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, the top court of the country had transferred all cases registered in connection with the Unnao rape case from a Lucknow court in Uttar Pradesh to a court in Delhi with directions to hold the trial on a daily basis, completing the same within 45 days.
Sengar was convicted in December 2019 for the rape of the minor victim as well as for the custodial death of the victim’s father. He was sentenced to life-imprisonment in the rape case and sent to jail for 10 years in the custodial death case.
He recently approached the Court seeking medical bail, which was granted on December 5 for two weeks. He then moved the Court seeking extension of the same.
On December 19, Sengar’s medical evaluation report conducted by AIIMS was submitted to the Court in sealed covers.
As per the medical report, Sengar was said to be in stable condition and could be managed as an outpatient at a local facility.
The High Court further took note of a communication by AIIMS, which raised concerns regarding the large number of visitors coming to meet Sengar. The medical institute requested the Court for tight security arrangements while Sengar remained in the hospital.
Appearing for Sengar, Senior Advocate N Hariharan submitted that he needed supervision and care due to the recent laser therapy in his eyes.
Appearing for the survivor, Advocate Mehmood Pracha opposed the application stating that Sengar’s bail posed a threat to the survivor and her family. CBI’s Special Public Prosecutor also opposed Sengar’s bail extension plea.
The High Court will hear the matter on January 27, 2025.
In the custodial death case, the single-Judge Bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri extended Sengar’s interim bail till December 23. Since the Division Bench order was not available when the single-judge heard the matter, the bail in this case was extended only till Monday.