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This is an archive article published on January 22, 2025

Delhi HC grants Unnao rape convict 4 days for cataract surgery

Convicted in the 2017 Unnao rape case and for the custodial death of the survivor's father, Kuldeep Singh Sengar was out on bail since December 5, 2024, and had to surrender on January 20, 2025.

Kuldeep Singh Sengar Delhi High Court order, Interim suspension of sentence for cataract surgery, Kuldeep Sengar Unnao rape case sentence, Delhi HCDelhi High Court grants interim suspension of sentence to Kuldeep Singh Sengar for cataract surgery. (Source: File Photo)

The Delhi High Court Wednesday granted Unnao rape case convict and former BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar interim suspension of sentence for four days in the event he undergoes cataract surgery.

Sengar was also found guilty in the custodial death of the 2017 Unnao rape victim’s father. In both cases, he was out on interim bail from December 5, 2024 until January 20 after his interim suspension of his sentence on health grounds.

He surrendered on December 20 after the court refused to grant him an opportunity of early hearing of his plea seeking an extension of 30 days of the interim suspension of sentence to undergo cataract surgery. AIIMS Delhi fixed the date of surgery on January 24.

A division bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar directed that Sengar will get himself admitted to AIIMS on January 24 for the cataract surgery and in case it is not performed, he would surrender the same day to jail by 7 pm.

In case it is performed on January 24, Sengar will surrender to jail latest by January 27 at 12 pm.

A Delhi police constable would be deputed at the private ward where Sengar will be hospitalised and a CBI officer will remain in touch with him on a daily basis, the bench directed.

The division bench’s relief came in the Unnao rape case in which he was sentenced to life. His appeal challenging the trial court’s verdict is pending before the high court.

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Minutes after the division bench’s order, Sengar’s counsels also sought similar relief before a single bench in the second case in which he was awarded a 10-year jail term in 2020 for the custodial death of the victim’s father.

Justice Vikas Mahajan also extended the interim suspension of sentence for the same period and on the same terms as imposed by the division bench of Justices Chawla and Shankar.

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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