The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Delhi High Court’s order that had suspended the life sentence of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case. With this decision, Sengar will continue to remain in jail.

The apex court passed the order while hearing a plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is the investigating and prosecuting agency in the case. The agency had challenged the High Court’s decision to suspend Sengar’s sentence and grant him conditional bail.

Bail order put on hold after CBI challenge

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had suspended Sengar’s life term awarded for the rape of a woman who was a minor at the time of the crime. Although bail was granted, Sengar was not expected to be released immediately as he is also serving a separate sentence in connection with the custodial death of the survivor’s father.

While staying the High Court order, the Supreme Court observed that it has a responsibility towards the survivor. The court issued notice on the CBI’s petition and granted four weeks’ time to Sengar to respond.

Survivor allowed to intervene

The Supreme Court also allowed the Unnao rape survivor to intervene in the proceedings through her petition. This ensures that her concerns will be formally heard during the hearing of the case.

The matter will now be examined further by the apex court after replies are filed by the concerned parties.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has entered the ongoing political debate triggered by senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s recent social media post, using the moment to underline Sonia Gandhi’s role in promoting merit-based leadership within the party.

Without directly naming Digvijaya Singh, Reddy, considered close to the Gandhi family, posted a message on X late Sunday night praising Sonia Gandhi’s leadership decisions that led to PV Narasimha Rao and Dr Manmohan Singh becoming prime ministers. His remarks were widely seen as a counter to the narrative that questioned the Congress party’s internal organisational culture.

Reddy said that under Sonia Gandhi’s leadership, individuals from diverse backgrounds were elevated to the highest constitutional positions based on capability and commitment. He referred to PV Narasimha Rao’s journey from a remote village in Telangana to the prime minister’s office, and the appointment of economist Dr Manmohan Singh as prime minister, as examples of the party rewarding merit.

He further stated that the Congress has played a central role in shaping modern India, from the freedom movement to the building of democratic institutions, and in holding together a diverse nation.

Background of the Digvijaya Singh post row

The controversy began after Digvijaya Singh shared an old photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the 1990s and praised the organisational strength of the BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. In his post, Singh described the rise of grassroots workers within that organisation as “impressive” and called it an example of the “power of organisation”.

The post, which tagged senior Congress leaders, triggered sharp reactions within the party. Singh later clarified that his comments were limited to organisational structure and not an endorsement of ideology.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reiterated that the party has never sought votes in the name of religion, while party spokesperson Pawan Khera dismissed the remarks by drawing a sharp ideological line between Mahatma Gandhi and those associated with Nathuram Godse.

Political reactions and internal dynamics

The issue also drew reactions from the BJP, which accused the Congress leadership of being autocratic and questioned whether Rahul Gandhi would respond to Singh’s remarks. Meanwhile, Digvijaya Singh and Rahul Gandhi were seen together at a Congress Working Committee meeting in Delhi, where sources said the exchange was treated lightly.

Singh’s comments have also been linked to a broader discussion within the Congress about organisational reforms, echoed earlier by leaders such as Shashi Tharoor, who has spoken about the need for strengthening the party structure beyond the Gandhi family.

Sources indicated that Singh’s remarks may also be influenced by uncertainty over his future in the Rajya Sabha, with his term ending early next year.

The BJP and Shiv Sena have almost sealed their seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, with an understanding reached on 200 of the total 227 wards in Mumbai, according to sources. The civic body polls are scheduled to be held on January 15.

The agreement was discussed during a late-night meeting of the Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. The meeting took place at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s residence in Thane and focused on strategy for several key municipal corporations, including Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli and Navi Mumbai.

Sources said similar meetings are lined up for Mumbai and other civic bodies such as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Panvel and Mira-Bhayandar, as alliance partners work to finalise ward-level arrangements and campaign planning.

Congress explores new alliances in Mumbai

In Mumbai, Congress leaders are scheduled to meet Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi as the party looks to rebuild its alliance structure after parting ways with the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction). The distancing followed Sena (UBT)’s decision to join hands with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by Raj Thackeray.

Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has confirmed that the party will contest the BMC elections in alliance with the MNS and the NCP led by Sharad Pawar. The inclusion of the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) comes after Sharad Pawar rejected a proposal from the Ajit Pawar-led faction that offered limited seat allocation.

Despite the split, sources indicated that discussions may continue, with meetings expected between Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule and her cousin Ajit Pawar to determine future political moves.

Local body strategies take shape across Maharashtra

Meanwhile, MNS chief Raj Thackeray is set to hold a meeting with party leaders at his Shivtirth residence to finalise the party’s election strategy, including campaign issues and candidate selection.

In Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Shiv Sena MLA and minister Sanjay Shirsat will meet BJP leaders, including state ministers Chandrakant Bawankule and Atul Save, to discuss preparations for the civic polls.

Seat-sharing talks are also underway in Mira-Bhayandar, where Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik and BJP MLA Narendra Mehta are expected to hold discussions. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, however, is planning to contest the elections independently in the region.

Panvel is set to witness a major opposition meeting involving Sena (UBT), Congress, MNS, NCP (SP), Samajwadi Party and the VBA. The gathering, led by the Peasants and Workers Party, will focus on finalising seat-sharing arrangements and joint election strategies.