New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar seeking suspension of his sentence in the case related to the custodial death of the Unnao rape survivor’s father.
Sengar was sentenced on March 13, 2020, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of ₹10 lakh by a trial court for his role in the death of the survivor’s father while in judicial custody. The court had then ruled that no leniency could be shown in the killing of a family’s “sole breadwinner.”
In the same case, the trial court also awarded 10-year prison sentences to Sengar’s brother, Atul Singh Sengar, and five other accused for their involvement in the custodial violence that led to the victim’s father’s death.
According to the prosecution, the survivor’s father was arrested under the Arms Act at Sengar’s behest and died in custody on April 9, 2018, allegedly due to severe police brutality. The incident followed the rape of the minor survivor in 2017, for which Sengar was later convicted.
While the trial court did not hold the accused guilty of murder under the Indian Penal Code, it awarded the maximum punishment under Section 304 for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, noting that there was no proven intention to kill.
Sengar’s appeal in the main rape case, challenging his December 2019 conviction and life sentence till the remainder of his natural life, is currently pending before the Delhi High Court. His sentence in that case was suspended by the High Court on December 23, 2025, but the Supreme Court stayed the suspension on December 29, 2025.
With the latest order, Sengar will continue to serve his sentence in the custodial death case.
