HC grants bail to ex-MLA Sengar in Unnao rape case, life term stayed

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : The Delhi High Court has granted bail to former MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, suspending his life sentence in the 2017 Unnao rape case. However, Kuldeep Singh Sengar will not be able to leave jail due to his conviction in the murder case of the victim's father.

In its decision on Tuesday, a bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar suspended Kuldeep Sengar's sentence pending the appeal against his conviction. The pending appeal challenges the trial court's verdict convicting him of raping a 17-year-old girl. The trial court had sentenced him to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹2.5 million.

The High Court has imposed several conditions while granting bail to Kuldeep Singh Sengar. He will also have to provide a surety of ₹1.5 million. The court stated in its order that the bail will remain in force until a decision is reached on the appeal filed against the lower court's conviction. The High Court also ordered Kuldeep Sengar not to come within 5 kilometers of the victim and to remain in Delhi during the bail period. He has been asked to report to the police every Monday.

The former MLA's bail is also subject to conditions such as surrendering his passport to the lower court and not threatening the victim. The High Court stated in its order, "Violation of any of the conditions will result in the cancellation of the bail." In 2017, a minor girl from Unnao accused former MLA Kuldeep Sengar of kidnapping and rape. Sengar was arrested in the case following an order from the Allahabad High Court.

In August 2019, the Supreme Court transferred four cases related to the Unnao rape case to Delhi and ordered that the hearings be conducted on a daily basis and completed within 45 days. In December 2019, a lower court convicted Sengar in the rape case and sentenced him to life imprisonment.