New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday (May 15) set aside the Delhi high court order suspending former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s life sentence in the 2017 Unnao rape case, and asked the court to decide on the matter afresh.The Delhi high court had suspended Sengar’s sentence in December 2025, leading to protests from the survivor and women’s rights activists.Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi partially allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation’s plea, and asked the Delhi high court to either decide on Sengar’s appeal against conviction within three months or pass a fresh order on the application seeking sentence suspension, LiveLaw reported. The bench also said that the court must hear all sides, including the survivor’s lawyer, when deciding on suspension of sentence, according to The Hindu.“We allow the [CBI’s] appeal. Set aside the impugned order. High Court shall make an endeavour to decide the main appeal within two months. In case appeal not likely to be heard, let a fresh order be passed concerning the application for suspension of sentence. No opinion expressed in merits. Nor the application for suspension of sentence be influenced by order of this Court. Let appropriate orders be passed preferably before commencement of summer vacations,” the Supreme Court said on Friday, according to Bar and Bench.Sengar has remained in prison after the sentence suspension as he was incarcerated in connection with the custodial death of the survivor’s father.This case has been a gruesome ordeal for the survivor and her family.The woman was kidnapped and raped by expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in 2017, when she was a minor. Her father was assaulted by Sengar’s brother and then arrested on false charges when the family pressed ahead for justice. In April 2018, he died in police custody. It was only after the woman’s father passed away that the police started taking action against Sengar.On December 20, 2019, Sengar was sentenced to jail for the remainder of his natural biological life in the rape case.In 2019, the apex court had directed that the survivor, her mother and other members of the family be provided security by the Central Reserve Police Force.In 2019, the survivor’s car was hit by an empty truck with its registration place scrubbed out on the way to Rae Bareli. The woman’s two aunts succumb to their injuries. She and her lawyer, Mahendra Singh, were badly injured. In 2021, a court upheld the CBI’s finding that their was no foul play in the accident.In 2021, the Delhi high court told the survivor to “go out only when necessary” and “take precautions” until the case is over.