Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 28: A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court will on Monday hear a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the Delhi High Court’s order that suspended the life sentence of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar and granted him bail in the 2017 Unnao case.

According to the cause list released by the apex court, the matter will be taken up by a vacation bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice J.K. Maheshwari, and Justice Augustine George Masih.

The CBI has approached the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court’s December 23 order, which allowed Sengar’s plea for suspension of sentence during the pendency of his appeal. Earlier, both the investigating agency and the survivor’s family had indicated their intent to contest the High Court’s decision before the top court.

The suspension of Sengar’s sentence has drawn sharp criticism from the survivor’s family and women’s rights groups, who have staged protests and expressed concern that the decision undermines public confidence in the justice system and sends an adverse message in cases involving crimes against women.

During the hearing in the Delhi High Court, the CBI had firmly opposed Sengar’s request for bail, citing the seriousness of the offence and potential risks associated with his release. Despite this, a division bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar granted him conditional bail, suspending his life sentence while his appeal remains pending.

The Unnao case had sparked nationwide outrage. In December 2019, a trial court convicted Sengar of kidnapping and raping a minor and sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life, along with imposing a fine of Rs 25 lac.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had transferred all cases linked to the incident from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi and ordered that the trial be conducted on a day-to-day basis to ensure speedy justice.