Unnao rape case: CBI to approach SC against HC bail for Kuldeep Sengar

In a recent development in the Unnao rape case, CBI officials said that the apex investigation agency will move the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court’s verdict suspending the sentence of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

Officials on Wednesday (December 24) said that the decision was taken after studying the orders of a division bench of the Delhi High Court.

In a statement, a CBI spokesperson said that it was decided to file an SLP before the Supreme Court at the earliest against the orders of the High Court, which granted bail to Sengar after suspending his life sentence. Sengar, however, will remain in jail as he is also serving a 10-year term for the custodial death of the sexual assault survivor's father.

CBI to challenge verdict

Sengar had filed an appeal against his life sentence, which was vehemently opposed by the CBI and the family of the survivor before the High Court.

“The CBI filed timely replies and written arguments in this matter. The family of the victim has also opposed the petition, citing safety and threats. The CBI will immediately challenge this order,” the statement said.

Also Read: Unnao rape case: Kuldeep Sengar gets bail; survivor removed from protest site

On Tuesday (December 23), the Delhi High Court suspended the jail term of Sengar, who was serving life imprisonment in the 2017 Unnao rape case, saying he had already served seven years and five months in prison. The survivor and her mother sat in protest against the order, but were forcefully taken away by the Delhi Police.

Leaders slam police action

The issue soon snowballed into a massive political slugfest with Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi questioning the move of the police to use force against the survivor and her mother.

“Is such treatment of a gang-rape survivor appropriate? Is it her 'fault' that she gathered the courage to raise her voice for justice? “The fact that her perpetrator (former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Sengar) has been granted bail is extremely disappointing and shameful -- especially when the survivor is being repeatedly harassed and is living under the shadow of fear," the former Congress chief said in a post in Hindi on X.

क्या एक गैंगरेप पीड़िता के साथ ऐसा व्यवहार उचित है?

क्या उसकी “गलती” ये है कि वो न्याय के लिए अपनी आवाज़ उठाने की हिम्मत कर रही है?

उसके अपराधी (पूर्व BJP MLA) को ज़मानत मिलना बेहद निराशाजनक और शर्मनाक है - खासकर तब, जब पीड़िता को बार-बार प्रताड़ित किया जा रहा हो, और वो डर के… https://t.co/BZqrVNXMOy

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 24, 2025

"Bail for rapists and treating survivors like criminals -- what kind of justice is this? We are not just becoming a dead economy -- with such inhuman incidents, we are also turning into a dead society,” he slammed the ruling NDA government. Rahul noted that in a democracy, raising a voice of dissent is a right and suppressing it is a crime.

Delhi High Court's decision

Sengar's sentence was suspended by the high court until the pendency of his appeal challenging his conviction and sentencing in the rape case. Sengar challenged a December 2019 trial court verdict in the case.

Imposing several conditions for bail, the bench comprising Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar directed Sengar to furnish a personal bond of Rs 15 lakh with three sureties of the like amount.

Also Read: Over 1 billion women faced childhood sexual violence in 2023: Lancet

It also directed Sengar not to come within a 5-km radius of the victim's residence in Delhi, and not to issue threats to her or her mother.

It is to be noted that Sengar was convicted of kidnapping and raping the girl in 2017, while she was a minor. The rape case and other connected cases were transferred to Delhi from a trial court in Uttar Pradesh on the directions of the Supreme Court on August 1, 2019.

Rahul, Sonia meet survivor

Meanwhile, Rahul also met the survivor at his mother Sonia Gandhi's 10, Janpath residence on December 24.

Accompanied by her mother, the survivor met both Rahul and Sonia, and urged them to help her get a senior lawyer to fight the case against Sengar in the Supreme Court, which Rahul Gandhi assured to do.

Also Read: Over 30 pc girls, 13 pc boys sexually violated before age 18 in India: Lancet

Rahul said the survivor should be treated with respect and that justice should be ensured to her, instead of subjecting her to “injustice” and “fear”.

(With agency inputs)