The Unnao rape survivor expressed relief after the Supreme Court of India rejected the bail plea of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in connection with the custodial death of her father.

The Supreme Court rejected Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s bail appeal. (PTI)The top court was hearing the plea filed by Sengar challenging the HC's order dated January 19, refusing to suspend his sentence in the death case.

On SC's verdict, the rape survivor said, “I went to the Supreme Court today. I was in the court when the judge gave his verdict. I am very happy with this verdict. I am satisfied that the judge has ordered the hearing to be completed within 3 months, as soon as possible. My father is not going to come back. His brothers, Atul Singh Sengar and Jaideep Singh Sengar, killed my father. They are out of jail for medical treatment. All the police officers who were involved are out. As far as Kuldeep Singh Sengar is concerned, he has committed a heinous act against me. He has raped me. How can I prove it? Am I alive? Do I have to do this?.

Also read| SC refuses to hear Kuldeep Sengar's bail plea in Unnao rape case

She said she has struggled for eight years to prove the assault. She added that if she had died like Nirbhaya, her ordeal would have been believed immediately. She called on the Supreme Court to deliver justice for her father and demanded the death penalty for Sengar.

“If I had died like Nirbhaya, everyone would have believed that I was raped. I am alive. It took years to prove what happened to me. I have been struggling for 8 years. Even now, I have to prove that I have been raped. His daughter said that it was a normal accident. I did not know whether the accident was normal. I was on the ventilator. I have requested that the Supreme Court deliver justice for my father. He should be hanged so that my father's soul can be at peace and justice can be given to him,” she told news agency ANI.

Earlier, the Supreme Court refused to grant immediate relief to Sengar, who sought suspension of sentence and bail in the custodial-death case of the victim’s father. The Court, however, asked the Delhi High Court to hear and decide the matter within three months.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, “We deem it a fit case to request the High Court to hear the appeal and decide the same, but not later than three months.”

Sengar had challenged a January 19, 2026, Delhi High Court order that declined to suspend his sentence or grant bail in the custodial-death case. He was previously convicted on March 4, 2020 under multiple sections of the IPC, including Sections 166, 167, 193, 201, and 203, read with Section 120-B, and sentenced to up to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for individual offences.

Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, representing Sengar, argued that he had already served over seven and a half years in prison and that continued denial of bail was unjustified due to delays in the hearing. The Supreme Court noted that the criminal appeal was scheduled for final hearing before the High Court on 11 February, making the plea for suspension of sentence largely academic.

Opposing the bail, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta told the Court that Sengar is already serving life imprisonment in a separate rape conviction and that no exceptional circumstances warranted bail.

“In cases of conviction, the normal rule is that the appeal should be heard before completion of sentence,” the CJI said, adding that the victim's right to pursue her own appeal could not be curtailed.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that courts are generally cautious in granting bail where the accused has serious criminal antecedents, particularly in cases involving custodial deaths, for which police officers have already been convicted.

(With inputs from ANI)