The Delhi High Court on Tuesday extended the interim bail of Jaideep Sengar, brother of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Sengar, till February 20 in the custodial death case of the Unnao rape survivor’s father and directed the CBI to file a detailed verification report on his medical condition.
Jaideep Sengar, who is serving a 10-year sentence in the case, had sought a three-month extension of interim bail on the ground that he is suffering from Stage IV oral cancer and requires continuous specialised treatment.
The CBI opposed the plea, contending that the case was not fit for extension of interim bail. The agency’s counsel told the court that the medical prescription relied upon by Sengar was “not genuine but fabricated” and argued that he ought to have approached the court well within time if he sought further extension.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma noted that no verification report had been filed by the CBI and asked the agency to submit a detailed assessment of Sengar’s health condition.
“You have to tell me whether this man is suffering to the extent that he deserves an extension. If he is not, you have to give me a clear report… Whether this is genuine or not. Whether this man is critically ill or not critically ill,” the court told the CBI.
Pending such verification, the court extended the interim bail only till February 20.
In his application, Sengar claimed he is suffering from a life-threatening Stage IV oral cancer with clinical signs of recurrence, requiring continuous and specialised medical care. He also stated that he has already undergone about four years in custody.
The High Court had initially granted him interim bail on July 3, 2024, which has been extended from time to time.
Kuldeep Sengar was convicted in December 2019 for raping the Unnao survivor, who was a minor at the time of the 2017 incident, and was sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life.
In the related custodial death case, a trial court on March 13, 2020 sentenced Kuldeep Sengar and Jaideep Sengar to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹10 lakh each. The survivor’s father had been arrested under the Arms Act and died in custody on April 9, 2018, with the trial court attributing the death to police brutality and observing that “no leniency” could be shown for killing a family’s “sole bread earner”.
Appeals filed by the convicts against the trial court judgment are presently pending before the Delhi High Court.
