New Delhi, 29 Dec

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Delhi High Court's order suspending the life sentence of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case.

A vacation bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, and Justices J K Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih also issued notice to Sengar seeking his response on the CBI's plea challenging the high court order.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, urged the bench to stay the High Court order.

The bench said it would examine the matter as it required consideration. It said Sengar shall not be released from custody following the HC’s 23 Dec order.

Substantial questions of law arise for consideration in the matter, the bench said and posted the matter for hearing after four weeks.

The HC suspended the jail term of Sengar, who was serving life imprisonment in the Unnao rape case, saying he had already served sevenyears and five months in prison.

Sengar's sentence was suspended by the HC till the pendency of his appeal challenging his conviction and sentence in the rape case. He has challenged a December 2019 trial court verdict in the case.

The expelled BJP leader will, however, remain in jail since he is also serving 10 years' imprisonment in the custodial death case of the victim's father and has not been granted bail in that case.

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 1 August, 2019.