Unnao rape case: Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s jail term suspension challenged in Supreme Court, plea says Delhi HC didn’t…

Unnao Rape Case: A Delhi High Court order suspending the jail term of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case has been challenged in the Supreme Court with petitioners contending that the HC had passed the order without considering the trial court’s judgement which mandates that the former lawmaker must remain in jail for the rest of his natural life.

What does the plea say?

As per the plea filed Anjale Patel and Pooja Shilpkar, the Delhi HC committed a “grave error” in law as well as on facts in granting bail/suspension of sentence to Sengar despite his serious criminal antecedents and his established involvement in the heinous offences of rape.

“The High Court failed to appreciate the material evidence relied upon by the prosecution which clearly demonstrates the barbarity and brutality of the accused, coupled with his demonstrated muscle power, financial influence and criminal propensity, as evidenced from the fact that even while the victim’s father was under judicial custody, the accused orchestrated and executed victim’s father murder to silence the family and frustrate the due course of justice,” the plea reads.

Why Delhi HC suspended Sengar’s life term?

The Delhi High Court on December 23 had suspended the jail term of Kuldeep Singh Sengar, stating that the former BJP MLA has already served seven years and five months in prison.

Sengar, who is serving a life sentence in the Unnao rape case, was given a relief by the high court, which suspended his jail term till till the pendency of his appeal challenging his conviction and sentence. He has challenged a December 2019 trial court verdict in the case.

However, Sengar will continue to remain in jail as he is also serving 10 years’ imprisonment in the custodial death case of the victim’s father and has not been granted bail in that case.

Sengar seeks suspension of sentence in custodial death case

The Delhi HC has imposed several conditions on Sengar, directing him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 15 lakh with three sureties of the like amount. The convict has also been directed not to come within a 5-km radius of the survivor’s residence in Delhi and not to threaten her or her mother, warning that violating any of the conditions would lead to the cancellation of bail.

Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who kidnapped and raped the survivor when she was a minor, has also challenged his conviction in the custodial death of the victim’s father. Sengar’s plea contends that he has already spent a substantial time in jail.

On August 1, 2019, the Supreme Court had passed directions t0 transfer the Unnao rape case and other connected cases to Delhi from a trial court in Uttar Pradesh