The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has approached the Supreme Court challenging the order of the Delhi High Court suspending the life sentence and granting bail to former Uttar Pradesh MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case. The CBI yesterday filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Apex court against the High Court’s decision. Earlier this week, the High Court ordered the suspension of a former legislator’s sentence during the pendency of his appeal against conviction and life imprisonment and also granted him conditional bail.

Sengar was convicted in 2019 by a special CBI court and sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine of 25 lakh rupees in the Unnao rape case of Uttar Pradesh. He had filed an appeal against his conviction before the Delhi High Court in January 2020 and later moved a plea seeking suspension of sentence in March 2022.

The CBI moved the Supreme Court seeking its intervention in the matter, after examining the High Court order. The Unnao case survivor and her family have strongly opposed the High Court’s decision of grant bail to Sengar. Despite the bail order in the rape case, the former legislator will continue to remain lodged in jail as he is also serving a 10-year sentence in another CBI case related to murder.