New Delhi, Dec. 29 -- The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Delhi High Court order that had suspended the life sentence of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and granted him bail in the Unnao rape case.

Staying the High Court's December 23 order, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, "In view of the peculiar facts where the convict has been convicted for a separate offence, we stay the operation of the Delhi High Court order. The respondent shall not be released pursuant to the said order."

The top court also issued notice to Sengar on a plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which challenged the High Court's decision to suspend his sentence.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had put Sengar's life sentence on hold whi...