<h2>Overview</h2>
<p>On <strong>May 15, 2026</strong> a two‑judge bench of the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Supreme Court — India’s highest judicial authority, whose decisions bind all lower courts and shape national jurisprudence (GS2: Polity)">Supreme Court</span> overturned the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Delhi High Court — the principal civil court for the National Capital Territory of Delhi, whose orders can be reviewed by the Supreme Court (GS2: Polity)">Delhi High Court</span> order that had suspended the life sentence of former BJP MLA <strong>Kuldeep Singh Sengar</strong> in the Unnao rape case. The matter was remitted to the High Court for a fresh decision within three months.</p>
<h2>Key Developments</h2>
<ul>
<li>The bench, comprising the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Chief Justice of India — the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, responsible for the allocation of cases and overall administration of the judiciary (GS2: Polity)">Chief Justice of India</span> <strong>Surya Kant</strong> and Justice <strong>Joymalya Bagchi</strong>, partly allowed the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Central Bureau of Investigation — India’s premier investigative agency, handling high‑profile cases including corruption and serious crimes (GS2: Polity)">CBI</span> appeal.</li>
<li>The Court directed the High Court to either decide Sengar’s appeal against conviction within three months or pass a fresh order on the suspension application.</li>
<li>Both the bench and the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Solicitor General of India — the second‑highest law officer of the Government of India, representing the Union in Supreme Court matters (GS2: Polity)">Solicitor General</span> <strong>Tushar Mehta</strong> rejected the High Court’s view that an MLA is not a “<span class="key-term" data-definition="Public servant — a person employed by the government or exercising authority under law; for POCSO, includes elected representatives when the offence is committed in official capacity (GS2: Polity)">public servant</span>” under the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act — a 2012 special law aimed at safeguarding children from sexual abuse, providing enhanced punishments and defining aggravated offences (GS2: Polity)">POCSO Act</span>.”</li>
<li>The Court emphasized a “practical solution” to avoid procedural dead‑lock while the appeal is pending.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Important Facts</h2>
<p>• Sengar was convicted in 2019 by a special CBI court for raping a minor girl in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, and sentenced to life imprisonment.<br>
• He also serves a separate 10‑year term for the culpable homicide of the survivor’s father, imposed in 2020.<br>
• In <strong>December 2025</strong> the Supreme Court stayed the High Court’s suspension order and granted bail to Sengar pending appeal.<br>
• The High Court had held that Sections 5(c) of the <span class="key-term" data-definition="
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