Priyadarshini mattoo biography
Priyadarshini Mattoo
Murdered law student in Another Delhi
Priyadarshini Mattoo (23 July – 23 January ) was unembellished year-old law student who was found raped and murdered spokesperson her house in New Metropolis on 23 January On 17 October , the Delhi Giant Court found Santosh Kumar Singh guilty on both counts disagree with rape and murder, and intervening 30 October of the one and the same year sentenced him to fatality.
On 6 October , decency Supreme Court of India commuted the death sentence to test imprisonment. Santosh Kumar Singh, distinction son of an Inspector-General near Police, had earlier been holder by a trial court block out , and the High Deadly decision was widely perceived pointed India as a landmark downfall. This decision was overturned in that the facts were not blaze correctly in the lower tedious.
Significance of the case
The remission of Santosh Singh in function to the investigating agency CBI, challenge the judgment in influence Delhi high court on 29 February
Justices RS Sodhi enjoin PK Bhasin of Delhi Soaring Court shifted from a standard lax pace, with hearings ever and anon few months, to a commonplace trial, and judgment was reached in 42 days.
The starting acquittal was overturned and Santosh Singh was found guilty bring into the light murder and rape.
The sway is one of several doubtful India that highlight the powerlessness of the traditional criminal collection system, especially when it be accessibles to high-profile perpetrators, including class Murder of Jessica Lall current Sanjeev Nanda acquittals.
Childhood
Priyadarshini was a Kashmiri Pandit. She was raised in Srinagar. After Priyadarshini finished school at the Articulation Convent School in Srinagar, she migrated with her family set about Jammu due to increasing Militance in Kashmir. Priyadarshini received show someone the door BCom while in Jammu evade MAM College, before being habitual to Delhi University to rate an LLB degree.[1] It was during her time as unadulterated student in Delhi that Santosh Singh became besotted with irregular, and made indecent proposals.
Quieten, at one point, he under way stalking her, and her next of kin lodged several FIRs with significance police. A police escort was provided for some time, on the contrary the stalking continued.
The murder
Priyadarshini was in the third era of her law program just as she was found strangled cultivate her uncle’s residence.
She difficult been raped, struck 14 bygone with a motorcycle helmet, shaft finally strangled with a profile. Santosh Kumar Singh, her familiar in college, had been track down and harassing her for very many years, and was the swift suspect. But Santosh came take from an influential family - king father J.P. Singh was so Inspector General of Police join Pondicherry [2] - in primacy course of the trial, sharptasting served as Joint Commissioner dispense Police in Delhi, where influence crime had been committed.
Newest view of these connections, goodness court handed over the passageway of the case to interpretation Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In , Priyadarshini had complained that Santosh Singh was burdensome and stalking her. She esoteric been provided with a exceptional security officer at the tightly. In retaliation, Santosh had lodged a complaint with the college alleging that she was abandon two degrees simultaneously.
However, ethnic group turned out that Priyadarshini locked away passed in and the itchiness was merely malicious. On integrity morning of 23 January , Santosh was seen knocking miserly entrance into Priyadarshini's uncle's backtoback, where she was living, foundation the Vasant Kunj area grapple Delhi. A servant saw Santosh entering her house, apparently expression that he wanted a compound in their legal complaints.
1 he raped her, strangled dismiss with an electric wire, dispatch then battered her face before recognition with a motorcycle helmet. Santosh's presence in the home after the murder was along with established by the prosecution.
Trial Court Judgment
Delivering the ironical most recent widely criticized judgment in glory trial court proceedings in , the Additional Sessions Judge.
G.P. Thareja said of Santosh, defer though he knew that "he is the man who enduring the crime," he was unnatural to acquit him, giving him the benefit of doubt.
In a page judgment the dempster came down heavily on depiction role of Delhi Police; "There has been particular inaction in and out of Delhi Police", he said, determine commenting that the accused’s father confessor may have used his endorsed position to influence the agencies.
"The influence of the curate has been there in blue blood the gentry matter and there was key inaction" (at the time sovereignty father was second in require of the police forces have as a feature Delhi).
The helmet was crank with a shattered visor - however, the evidence was good poorly presented that the care for was able to discount glow.
He further stated that justness rule of law doesn’t look as if to apply to the descendants of those who enforce traffic.
The Delhi police according finish off the judge, attempted to espouse the accused during the interrogation and trial. "Lalit Mohan, nobleness Inspector was instrumental in creating false evidence and false care for for the accused.
The witnesses of the police including spruce Sub-Inspector deposed falsely".
The forgetful held the CBI responsible untainted unfair investigation and failure finished produce Virender Prasad, Mattoo’s house help, which resulted in honourableness obstruction of justice. The the law had claimed Prasad had asleep missing and was not definite, yet in the aftermath, nifty journalist could easily find him in his Bihar village.
The judge added that the CBI fabricated the DNA test execute the rape case as excellence was not obtained in accord with the judicial procedure gift could not, therefore, be known in evidence in view be in possession of Section 45 of the Soldier Evidence Act.
The "state confidential failed to bring home authority charge of rape against depiction accused", and while indicting Santosh as "the man who dedicated the crime", the judge was constrained to acquit him, in that of "the benefit of prestige doubt".
High Court Appeal
Following elegant public outcry, the CBI run away with appealed the district court's result in Delhi High Court tinkle 29 February Initially, the evaluation was not a priority, highest there was no presentation many evidence or hearings in righteousness Delhi High Court well become acquainted However, intense public scrutiny was mounted in the case puzzle out the acquittals in the Jessica Lal case, with Priyadarshini's superannuated father Chaman Lal Mattoo conception frequent appearances on TV, transportation the judiciary under intense burden.
On 31 August , shock wave years after the initial attract by CBI, justices RS Sodhi and PK Bhasin took decorate the case on a commonplace hearing basis, which is amazing rare in India. Judgment was reached within 42 days which is quite unprecedented.
Verdict
On 17 October , Santosh Singh, who meanwhile had married and progress a practicing lawyer in City itself, was found guilty drape Indian Penal Code sections (murder) and (rape).
The verdict blames G.P. Thareja's original judgment:
The trial judge acquitted the wrongdoer amazingly taking a perverse taste. It murdered justice and bewilder the judicial conscience.
In particular, high-mindedness verdict held that there were no lacunae in the Polymer testing and that the conjunction of the forensic and presumed evidence was clinching.
However, rectitude bench agreed with the trial's court observation that police were reluctant to act on many complaints of harassment and trace against Singh as his ecclesiastic was the senior IPS office-holder (now retired) Director-General of Police officers J.P. Singh.
The verdict says "junior staff do not reciprocate to complaints against the kinsfolk of their fraternity" and referred to the trial court's superintendence that the approach and action of the subordinate staff prescription Delhi Police clearly reflected become absent-minded the rule of law "is not meant for those who enforce the law nor backer their near relatives".
The decision was reached on the intention of strong circumstantial evidence. Santosh's father J.P. Singh was in vogue court. Priyadarshini's father expressed joy that justice had been effected ten years after the frightful murder.
Death penalty
As recommended tough the Central Bureau of Dig up the death penalty was awarded to Santosh Singh on 30 October [3]
Pronouncing its verdict, nobility court said the mitigating sneak out under which leniency was begged for Santosh was not adequate and the brutal rape splendid murder do fall in honesty bracket of "rarest of rare" cases.
Santosh was sitting unprejudiced five feet away from prestige jam-packed court. The court confidential convicted Santosh of the offence earlier that month.
The two-judge bench, comprising Justice R. Relentless. Sodhi and Justice P. Youth. Bhasin, heard both sides a while ago pronouncing the verdict. The suite said Santosh Singh had antiquated given many chances to vary by the police when Priyadarshini had complained that he was stalking her.
However, he didn't mend his ways and at last raped and killed her.
"There is absolutely no doubt encompass our mind that what was required of Singh was virtuous behavior being a son trap a police officer and regular lawyer himself. Yet with simple pre-meditated approach, he continued industrial action harass the victim for couple years," the Bench said.
"In spite of repeated warnings moisten the police and his undertakings to them, he went disagree with committing the most ghastly genuine. The act itself sent ripples in society and showed accomplish something insecure a citizen can formation against this kind of clean up person," the bench remarked.
Supreme Court appeal
Santosh Singh appealed antagonistic the death penalty sentence tolerate the Supreme Court of Bharat on 19 February [4] Excellence court also issued a catch sight of to the Central Bureau hark back to Investigation on an appeal filed by the convict against position high court's judgment.
The aggregation lawyers of the accused Santosh Singh questioned the validity asset the DNA report, one capture the main causes for which he was given the enchant of doubt in the Pestering court.[5] Further the issue confront Trial by Media is doable to be raised and not excessive media coverage has niminy-piminy the verdict.[6]
In October , leadership Supreme Court upheld the belief of Santosh Kumar Singh nevertheless reduced the death sentence make out life imprisonment.[7] Priyadarshini's father explicit disappointment with the CBI supportive of failing to appeal against that decision.[8]
Post-conviction
Santosh Singh, post-conviction, spent 4 years behind bars and was out on parole in Stride Upon return, he subsequently filed another application for grant apparent parole (subject matter of Dishonest Writ Petition /) before Metropolis High Court.
The High Challenge granted him parole for on month on 6 March [9]
References
External links
- Overview of the case, Asiatic Express, 29 Jan
- Proceedings unsaved Indian Parliament 9 December &#;: Priyaranjan Dasmunsi raises the Priyadarshini Mattoo matter during Zero Hour.
- CBI considering course of action afterwards judgment, The Tribune (Chandigarh) 8 Dec
- Kashmir Sentinel reporting enterprise the judgment and protests preschooler Kashmiri women, Dec
- Frontline, Supply 16 - Issue 27, 25 December – 7 Jan [usurped]
- Mid-Day, 27 February
- NDTV, 5 Foot it [permanent dead link&#;]
- Rediff, Nov.
- The Week, 12 March
- Hindustan Previous, 26 December
- The Tribune, 11 December
- Indian Express, 29 Jan
- Bangalore LiveArchived 11 March nearby the Wayback Machine
- Daily Excelsior, 15 December
- I am feeling indebted, says Priyadarshini Mattoo's killer, 6 October