Delhi High Court refuses to suspend Kuldeep Sengar’s 10-year jail term in Unnao custodial death case

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to suspend the 10-year jail term of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the custodial death case of the Unnao rape survivor's father.

"The application seeking suspension of sentence is dismissed," said Justice Ravinder Dudeja.

The judge observed that although Sengar has suffered a long incarceration, relief could not be given on the grounds of delay in deciding his appeal against conviction, as the delay was partly because he filed multiple applications in the matter.

"The court is conscious that the appellant has suffered long incarceration of 7.5 years and the appeal could not be heard... but reasons for such delay in hearing the appeal partly were that the appellant filed multiple applications for interim suspension, extension of bail and regular suspension of sentence. Purpose would be served if the appeal were heard on merit in an expeditious manner," Justice Dudeja said.

"In the facts and circumstances and after considering the statutory framework, the judicial principles governing suspension, the antecedents of the appellant and the absence of any new circumstance that has emerged, the court finds no ground to grant relief," the court opined.

The court listed the appeal for hearing on February 3.

On March 13, 2020, Sengar was sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment by a trial court, besides imposition of a fine of Rs 10 lakh, in the case. The trial court had said "no leniency" could be shown for killing a family's "sole bread earner". It had also awarded a 10-year jail term to Sengar's brother, Atul Singh Sengar, and five others for their role in the custodial killing of the rape survivor's father.

The father was arrested at the behest of Sengar under the Arms Act and died in custody on April 9, 2018, owing to police brutalities. Sengar had kidnapped the minor and raped her in 2017.

The trial court, which did not hold the accused guilty of murder under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the father's case, awarded the maximum sentence for the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder to convicts under Section 304 of the IPC after holding that there was no intention to kill.

Sengar's appeals in the main rape case against the December 2019 judgement convicting him and sentencing him to imprisonment for the remainder of his life, as well as the father's case, are pending in the high court.

His sentence was suspended by the high court on December 23, 2025, till the pendency of his appeal challenging his conviction and sentence in the rape case. The suspension was stayed by the Supreme Court on December 29, 2025.