The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to grant an extension of interim bail to Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the expelled BJP leader convicted in the 2017 Unnao rape case. The court directed Sengar to surrender as per the earlier stipulated date of January 20.
A bench comprising Justices Prathiba M Singh and Dharmesh Sharma, who had previously presided over the trial and convicted Sengar, recused from hearing his plea for a further extension of bail and has scheduled the matter to be heard by another bench on January 27.
During the proceedings, Sengar’s counsel requested an extension on medical grounds, citing an upcoming eye surgery at AIIMS. However, the court dismissed this plea, stating, “AIIMS will give you another date.”
The Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) counsel reminded the court that when extending Sengar’s bail on December 20 for a month, it had explicitly stated that no further extensions should be granted. The court upheld this decision, emphasizing the need for Sengar to comply with the order to surrender to jail authorities.
Sengar, who is serving a life sentence for his role in the kidnapping and rape of a minor girl in Unnao in 2017, was initially granted a two-week interim bail in early December due to health issues, which was later extended by another month.
The ongoing appeal against the December 2019 trial court’s verdict, which convicted Sengar, is still pending before the high court. Additionally, a connected case concerning the custodial death of the rape survivor’s father, for which Sengar is also seeking an extension of interim bail, is pending before another bench.
