The Delhi High Court Monday refused to extend the temporary suspension of former MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s life term for the 2017 rape of a minor in Unnao, telling him to surrender. The expelled BJP leader, also serving a 10-year sentence over the custodial death of the rape survivor’s father, has been out on interim bail since December 5, was seeking its extension on health grounds. Sengar’s counsel, Senior Advocate N Hariharan, told a division bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur that Sengar has a January 24 appointment for a cataract surgery at AIIMS Delhi. Citing AIIMS’ busy schedule, the counsel submitted that Sengar has been in custody for eight years. The survivor’s lawyer, Mehmood Pracha, made a preliminary objection, saying he has not been provided a copy of the main application by Sengar where he seeks an extension of the interim suspension. Directing Sengar’s side to supply the same to the survivor on Monday itself, the court posted the matter for January 22. Sengar had moved a similar application before a single-judge bench of Justice Vikas Mahajan, seeking interim bail in the custodial death case registered by the CBI. He was found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in this case on March 13, 2020. Justice Mahajan, too, did not consider the interim suspension of the sentence in light of the view taken by the division bench.
