New Delhi: Hours after the Delhi High Court granted bail to former MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 rape case on Tuesday, the survivor, accompanied by her mother and a rights activist, protested against the order at India Gate. This case has witnessed many twists, in which several family members of the survivor died in an accident, her father was beaten to death in custody, and she was allegedly targeted repeatedly. In the end, she got her pending justice — but that too did not last long.
It all started in 2017 when a minor girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district accused a powerful man, Kuldeep Sengar, of rape. He was then a BJP MLA. This case became India’s most notorious crime involving a powerful politician. After fighting for two years, a CBI trial court convicted Sengar in December 2019 and sentenced him to life imprisonment. He was also convicted in the other cases that were connected with the custodial death of the survivor’s father.
Timeline of the case
The minor alleged that Sengar raped her at his residence in June 2017. After months when no action was taken, she attempted self-immolation outside the Chief Minister’s residence in April 2018, which brought national attention to the case. Soon after this, her father died in custody after being allegedly assaulted by Sengar’s supporters inside Unnao Jail.
And when the case hearing was going on in July 2019, the survivor was critically injured in a car crash when her vehicle was hit by a truck. In this accident, her two aunts were killed, and the lawyer suffered serious injuries. The CBI later said that it was a deliberate attempt to kill her. The Supreme Court transferred the trial to Delhi. In December 2019, a Delhi court convicted Sengar of rape and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The latest development in this case came on 23 December 2025, when a Delhi High Court bench suspended Sengar’s life sentence and granted him conditional bail. His appeal against conviction is pending in court. This Delhi HC order temporarily suspends the sentence but does not quash the conviction. The court has attached strict conditions to the bail. A detailed court order is awaited for more details.
Also read: Why govt and activists are clashing over Aravalli height
Sengar won’t walk free immediately. He will continuously face the other convictions and proceedings. The case of the survivor’s father’s death can still keep him behind bars. Many reports note that the CBI has opposed suspensions or interim bail for the accused in the past and this time as well, they are likely to closely examine the conditions laid down by the Delhi High Court.
Sengar’s political influence has gotten more and more attention for the case. As a former BJP MLA in Unnao, he held significant power in the region. Even after being convicted, his family members were active in local politics. His conviction in 2019 was seen as a rare moment where a powerful politician was punished after years of public pressure.
What will happen next depends on multiple factors, the first one being the detailed report that the court has yet to release. That will explain why Sengar’s sentence was suspended and what conditions have been imposed in terms of movement or contacting the survivor. The CBI and state government can challenge some parts of the order, or they can seek guards. In such cases, the appeal often takes years to be finally decided. The protests are likely to continue against the court order and it can also make an impact.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)