Delhi HC Refuses To Extend Medical Bail Of Unnao Custodial Death Convict Jaideep Senger, Directs Immediate Surrender

The Delhi High Court on Friday declined to extend the interim medical bail granted to Jaideep Singh Senger, one of the convicts in the Unnao custodial death case, and directed him to surrender before the jail authorities by the following day, making it clear that his plea for further extension would be considered only after he returns to custody.

A Division Bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja passed the direction while hearing an application seeking continuation of the interim relief earlier granted to Senger for treatment of cancer.

The Court stated that the application for extension would be taken up only after compliance with the requirement to surrender and warned that coercive steps would follow in case of failure to do so. The matter has been listed for further hearing on February 24 and a status report has been sought.

Senger had been granted interim medical bail in July 2024 to undergo treatment for cancer and the relief was extended from time to time. However, upon the expiry of the last period of interim bail, he did not surrender to custody as required. Taking note of this, the High Court refused to continue the interim protection and directed him to appear before the authorities at Tihar Jail.

During the hearing, the Bench indicated that no further indulgence would be shown unless he first complied with the surrender condition. Counsel appearing on his behalf submitted that he would surrender before the jail authorities in terms of the Court’s direction.

The proceedings arise in the backdrop of the larger set of matters relating to the Unnao custodial death case, in which several persons, including former Uttar Pradesh MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, were convicted.

The High Court had recently issued notice to the convicts as well as to the Central Bureau of Investigation on an application filed by the Unnao rape survivor seeking enhancement of sentence in the custodial death case of her father.

In that matter, the survivor has sought a stricter punishment for the convicts. Appearing for her, counsel pressed for enhancement of the sentence, while the CBI submitted that the Court should first consider the issue of maintainability before entering into the merits of the plea.

Kuldeep Singh Sengar is currently serving a sentence of ten years’ imprisonment in the custodial death case and a life sentence in the case relating to the rape of a minor.

His appeals in both matters are pending before the Delhi High Court. Except for him, the other convicts in the custodial death case are presently on bail.

Earlier in the week, another Division Bench of the High Court, while dealing with a plea filed by the deceased victim’s daughter seeking early hearing of the connected matters, had noted that multiple appeals and applications arising out of the same case are pending before different Benches.

The Bench had observed that in view of the directions issued by the Supreme Court for expeditious disposal of the case within a fixed timeframe, the pendency of related matters before separate Benches may make adherence to that timeline difficult unless the cases are placed before a single Bench. The issue was accordingly referred to the Chief Justice for appropriate administrative directions.

The High Court had also, in December 2025, suspended the sentence of Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the custodial death case. That order was subsequently stayed by the Supreme Court, and the sentence continues to operate.

With the present direction, the Court has made the continuation of interim medical bail contingent upon surrender, reiterating the settled position that a convict who fails to comply with the conditions of interim bail cannot seek further extension of such relief without first submitting to custody.

The further consideration of Senger’s plea for medical bail will now take place after he surrenders in accordance with the Court’s order.

Case Title: Jaideep Singh Senger v. State (NCT of Delhi) & Anr.

Bench: Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja

Date of Hearing: February 20, 2026