Delhi High Court rejects stay of Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s sentence in death case

The Delhi High Court on Friday rejected a petition filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the case of death of the father of an Unnao rape victim in the custody of the child. (Kuldeep Singh Sengar v. Central Bureau of Investigation).

justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said Sengar’s sentence could not be suspended just because he had served about six years of his total sentence of ten years in prison.

The court held that Sengar was not entitled to a suspended sentence taking into account factors such as the seriousness of the offence, the nature of the crime, the criminal history of the convict and the impact on public confidence in the judiciary, etc.

Justice Sharma also noted that the victim’s family was threatened and was given protection by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

“In view of the foregoing discussion and applying the principles laid down by the Supreme Court in the judgments discussed above, this Court is therefore not inclined to grant the present application for suspension of sentence at this stage.” The court concluded from this.

The minor rape survivor from Unnao was allegedly abducted and raped by Sengar between June 11 and June 20, 2017. She was then sold for Rs 60,000 and subsequently found at Maakhi police station.

The survivor was subsequently constantly threatened by police officers and warned not to speak out, as instructed by Sengar.

The case took a controversial turn after a truck without license plates crashed into the victim’s car. The victim and her lawyer were seriously injured, while two of her aunts died.

In August 2019, the Supreme Court shifted the hearings of four cases related to the Unnao rape case to Delhi and ordered that they should be held daily and completed within 45 days.

Sengar was convicted in December 2019 for the rape of the minor victim as well as the death of the victim’s father in custody. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in the rape case and to ten years in prison in the death in custody case.

Advocates Kanhaiya Singhal, Ujwal Ghai, Aishwarya Sengar, Udit Bakshi, Vani Singhal, Prasanna, Teeksh Singhal, Deepali Pawar, Ajay Kumar and Anmol Chopra appeared for Kuldeep Singh Senger.

The CBI was represented by Special Public Prosecutor Ravi Sharma and advocates Anjani Kumar Rai and Praphulll Kumar.