Supreme Court Halts Bail for Convicted Politician Kuldeep Singh Sengar Amid National Outcry

According to the India Judicial Research Report 2025 (IJRR 2025), there are growing calls for high court judges who deliver “influenced” judgments to face open, live-streamed prosecution by independent juries.

RMN News Legal Desk
New Delhi | December 29, 2025

NEW DELHI — In a significant legal reversal, the Supreme Court of India on Monday stayed a Delhi High Court order that had granted bail to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in connection with the 2017 Unnao rape case.

The bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and including Justices J K Maheshwari and A G Masih, issued the stay following a plea from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI’s appeal challenged the High Court’s December 23, 2025, decision to suspend Sengar’s life sentence pending his appeal.

“Peculiar Situation” in the Top Court

During the proceedings, CJI Surya Kant acknowledged the unusual nature of the intervention, noting that while courts generally do not revoke liberty once granted, this case presents a “peculiar” situation because Sengar remains incarcerated for a separate matter. The Supreme Court has directed the former MLA to file a formal response within four weeks, with the next hearing scheduled for the last week of January.

Public Outrage and Survivor Protests

The High Court’s initial decision to grant Sengar bail sparked massive women-led protests across Delhi, including demonstrations in front of both the High Court and the Supreme Court. Among the protesters was the 25-year-old survivor herself, whose act of defiance highlighted the human cost of the legal battle.

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In a moving statement, the survivor expressed deep disillusionment with the legal system, stating, “If the convict gets bail in a case like this, how will the country’s daughters remain safe? For us, this decision is no less than ‘kaal’ (death). Those with money win, those without money lose”. Her words have become a rallying cry for those who fear that financial resources and political influence have become more decisive in the courtroom than facts and law.

Calls for Judicial Accountability

The case has reignited a fierce debate regarding judicial impunity and the perceived “bribe for bail” culture in India. Critics argue that the Supreme Court’s intervention was a necessary response to public pressure, but they warn that many victims lack the platform to spark such protests.

According to the India Judicial Research Report 2025 (IJRR 2025), there are growing calls for high court judges who deliver “influenced” judgments to face open, live-streamed prosecution by independent juries. The report suggests that without such accountability, the justice system will continue to be viewed as a two-tiered structure—offering one set of rules for the influential and another for the general public.

To understand the current state of the legal system, one might view it as a scale that is supposed to be balanced by the weight of evidence; however, when political power and wealth are placed on one side, the scale tips so far that the truth risks being slid right off the edge.