A legal challenge has been filed in the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court's order to suspend the jail sentence of Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who was convicted in the 2017 Unnao rape case. Sengar, a former BJP leader, is serving a life sentence for the crime.

The petition, filed by advocates Anjale Patel and Pooja Shilpkar, requests the Supreme Court to stay the High Court's order and cancel Sengar's bail. The lawyers argue that the High Court overlooked the trial court's observation that Sengar should remain in jail for the rest of his natural life. They contend that the High Court made a grave error in law and fact by suspending Sengar's sentence, considering his criminal history and involvement in the heinous crime. The petitioners highlight the trial court's view that Sengar should not be released from jail without proper justification from a judicial forum and state that the Supreme Court's intervention is necessary to ensure complete justice.

The plea asserts that the High Court did not adequately appreciate the evidence presented by the prosecution, which demonstrated the crime's brutality and Sengar's "muscle power, financial influence, and criminal propensity". The petition also references the death of the survivor's father while in custody, alleging that Sengar orchestrated the murder to silence the family and obstruct justice.

On December 23, 2025, the Delhi High Court suspended Sengar's jail term, noting that he had already served seven years and five months in prison. The suspension is to remain in effect while Sengar's appeal against his conviction is pending. However, Sengar will remain in jail as he is also serving a 10-year sentence in connection with the custodial death of the victim's father, and he has not been granted bail in that case.

The High Court imposed several conditions while suspending Sengar's sentence. Sengar must furnish a personal bond of ₹15 lakh with three sureties of the same amount. He is also required to stay in Delhi, report to the police weekly, and surrender his passport. Additionally, he is prohibited from entering within a 5-kilometer radius of the survivor's residence in Delhi and from threatening her or her mother. The High Court warned that violating any of these conditions would result in the cancellation of his bail.

The Unnao rape case and related matters were transferred to Delhi from a Uttar Pradesh trial court by the Supreme Court on August 1, 2019. Sengar's appeal against his conviction in the case involving the survivor's father's death is also pending, where he is seeking suspension of his sentence based on the time he has already spent in jail.