New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Delhi High Court's order suspending the life sentence of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case.

A vacation bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, and Justices J K Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih also issued notice to Sengar seeking his response on the CBI's plea challenging the high court order.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, urged the bench to stay the high court order.

ALSO READ: Youth Congress protests suspension of Kuldeep Sengar's life term in Unnao rape case; slams BJP

The bench said it would examine the matter as it required consideration. It said Sengar shall not be released from custody following the high court's December 23 order.

Substantial questions of law arise for consideration in the matter, the bench said and posted the matter for hearing after four weeks.

The high court suspended the jail term of Sengar, who was serving life imprisonment in the Unnao rape case, saying he had already served seven years and five months in prison.

Sengar's sentence was suspended by the high court till the pendency of his appeal challenging his conviction and sentence in the rape case. He has challenged a December 2019 trial court verdict in the case.

The expelled BJP leader will, however, remain in jail since he is also serving 10 years' imprisonment in the custodial death case of the victim's father and has not been granted bail in that case.

The rape case and other connected cases were transferred to Delhi from a trial court in Uttar Pradesh on the directions of the Supreme Court on August 1, 2019.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday called the killing of a Tripura student in Uttarakhand's Dehradun a "horrific hate crime", as he accused the ruling BJP of "normalising" hate.

Twenty-four-year-old Angel Chakma from Nandannagar in the West Tripura district was attacked by a group of six people when he objected to an alleged racial slur on December 9 in Dehradun. He succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment on December 26.

In a post on X, Gandhi said hate does not appear overnight.

ALSO READ: Welcome SC order on Aravallis, formation of new panel to study issue: Union environment minister

"What happened to Anjel Chakma and his brother Michael in Dehradun is a horrific hate crime," he said.

"Hate doesn't appear overnight. For years now, it is being fed daily -- especially to our youth -- through toxic content and irresponsible narratives. And it's being normalised by the hate-spewing leadership of the ruling BJP," he said.

The Leader of Opposition said India is built on respect and unity, not fear and abuse.

"We are a country of love and diversity. We must not become a dead society that looks away while fellow Indians are targeted. We must reflect and confront what we are allowing our country to become," he said.

"My thoughts are with the Chakma family and the people of Tripura and Northeast. We are proud to call you our fellow Indian brothers and sisters," Gandhi added.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday said his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami has assured him that all persons responsible for the murder will be arrested.

Thousands of students under the banner of Tipra Indigenous Students' Federation on Sunday organised a candle march here seeking justice for Angel Chakma. The students covered a distance of around one kilometre from the North Gate of Ujjayanta Palace.