New Delhi, 19 Jan

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to suspend the 10-year sentence awarded to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the case of the death of the Unnao rape survivor's father while in custody.

"No grounds are made out for grant relief. The application seeking suspension of sentence is dismissed," said Justice Ravinder Dudeja.

The judge observed that although Sengar had suffered a long incarceration, relief could not be given on grounds of delay, as it was partly because he filed multiple applications in his appeal against his conviction.

"Purpose would be served if the appeal is heard expeditiously," added the court while listing the matter for hearing on 3 February.

On 13 March, 2020, Sengar was sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment by a trial court, besides imposition of a fine of Rs 10 lakh, in the case of the death of the survivor's father in custody.

The trial court had said that "no leniency" could be shown for killing a family's "sole bread earner".

It had also awarded a 10-year jail term to Sengar's brother, Atul Singh Sengar, and five others for their role in the custodial killing of the rape survivor's father.

The father of the survivor was arrested at the behest of Sengar under the Arms Act and died in custody on 9 April, 2018, owing to police brutalities.

Sengar had kidnapped the minor and raped her in 2017.

The trial court, which did not hold the accused guilty of murder under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the father's case, awarded the maximum sentence for the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder to convicts under Section 304 of the IPC after holding that there was no intention to kill.

Sengar's appeals in the main rape case against the December 2019 judgement convicting him and sentencing him to imprisonment for the remainder of his life, as well as the father's case, are pending in the high court.

His sentence was suspended by the high court on 23 December, 2025, till the pendency of his appeal challenging his conviction and sentence in the rape case.

The suspension was stayed by the Supreme Court on 29 December, 2025.