Unnao rape case: Sengar moves Supreme Court for bail in survivor’s father’s death

Former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar has approached the Supreme Court seeking bail in the case related to the death of the Unnao rape survivor’s father, Vijay Singh , who died in police custody in July 2018 after being arrested, and courts found that Sengar’s actions and influence over the local authorities contributed to his death. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Sengar’s plea on Monday.

Sengar was sentenced in March 2020 to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 10 lakh after a trial court convicted him of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in the father’s death. The court had refused to show leniency, noting that the deceased was the sole breadwinner of the family.

In January, the Delhi High Court declined to suspend his sentence , observing that delays in the case were partly caused by several applications filed by Sengar during the trial.

He is also serving life imprisonment in the main Unnao rape case , in which he was convicted in 2019. In December 2025, the High Court briefly suspended that sentence pending appeal, a move that drew public attention. However, the Supreme Court stayed the order within days , cancelling the relief and keeping him in jail.

Appeals in both the rape case and the father’s death case are still pending before the High Court. The present petition before the Supreme Court is his latest attempt to secure temporary release.

The Unnao case remains one of the most high profile criminal cases in recent years, closely tracked for its legal and political implications.