Overview
- The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi allowed the survivor to be impleaded, citing the Lakhimpur Kheri precedent on victims’ participatory rights.
- The court declined an intervention plea by the survivor’s minor cousin and said he could seek protection of life and liberty from the jurisdictional High Court.
- The CBI’s appeal challenges the Delhi High Court’s December 23, 2025 order suspending Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s life sentence and granting him bail.
- The Supreme Court had stayed the High Court’s order on December 29, ensuring Sengar would not be released while substantial legal questions are considered.
- The CBI argues the High Court wrongly excluded an MLA from the POCSO ‘public servant’ category and misapplied principles governing suspension of life sentences.