Unnao rape case: CBI to move Supreme Court against Delhi high court order; challenges bail to ex-BJP MLA Sengar

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation will approach the Supreme Court at the earliest to challenge the Delhi High Court order that suspended the life sentence of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and granted him bail in the 2017 Unnao rape case, officials said on Wednesday.The decision was taken after the agency examined the order passed by a division bench of the Delhi High Court.According to news agency PTI, a CBI spokesperson said it has been decided to file a special leave petition before the Supreme Court against the ruling that put Sengar’s life sentence on hold during the pendency of his appeal.Despite the bail order, Sengar will continue to remain behind bars as he is separately serving a 10-year jail term in another case linked to the custodial death of the rape survivor’s father, officials clarified.Sengar had approached the Delhi High Court challenging the life sentence awarded to him by a trial court in December 2019. The appeal was strongly opposed by both the CBI and the victim’s family, who raised concerns over safety and alleged threats. The agency said it had filed timely replies and written submissions, while the survivor’s family also opposed the plea on security grounds, reported PTI.On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court suspended Sengar’s sentence, noting that he had already spent around seven years and five months in prison.

The suspension will remain in force until his appeal against conviction and sentence is decided. Granting bail, the court imposed strict conditions, including a personal bond of Rs 15 lakh with three sureties of the same amount.The court also directed Sengar not to enter a five-kilometre radius of the survivor’s residence in Delhi and restrained him from issuing any threats to her or her mother. Sengar was convicted for kidnapping and raping the girl in 2017, when she was a minor. The rape case and related matters were shifted from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi in August 2019 on the directions of the Supreme Court.The high court order has triggered strong reactions from the survivor, who described the suspension of Sengar’s sentence as “kaal” or death for her family, reported PTI. She said she would also approach the Supreme Court to seek justice, arguing that such decisions deepen fear among survivors of sexual violence.The survivor and her mother staged a protest in the national capital and later met Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, seeking support in their legal battle. She alleged that security for her family and legal team had already been withdrawn and claimed that the court’s decision had further heightened concerns for their safety, according to PTI.As the legal battle moves to the Supreme Court, the CBI has said it will press for the high court order to be set aside, reiterating its stand that the conviction and sentence awarded in the Unnao rape case must remain in force.