Priyadarshini Mattoo murder case: Delhi High Court orders fresh review of convict Santosh Singh’s plea for premature release

Noting that there’s an element of reformation in the convict, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday set aside the Sentence Review Board’s decision rejecting a premature release plea of Santosh Kumar Singh, who is serving life imprisonment for the rape and murder of law student Priyadarshini Mattoo here in 1996.

“I have found some element of reformation in him,” Justice Sanjeev Narula said while pronouncing the verdict.

“Merely taking note of the facts of the case and recording prima facie satisfaction, without giving any reasons for the same, is insufficient,” Justice Narula said, directing the SRB to consider his plea afresh.

It also laid down certain guidelines to be followed by the SRB while considering remission pleas of convicts. The SRB must conduct psychological assessment of the convicts while considering their pleas, which was not done in this case, it pointed out.

Mattoo (25) – a law student — was raped and murdered in January 1996 at her South Delhi residence. Singh, a fellow law student of Delhi University, was acquitted by the trial court on December 3, 1999. However, the Delhi High Court on October 27, 2006 reversed the decision, and held him guilty of rape and murder and awarded him death penalty.

Son of a former IPS officer, Singh challenged his conviction and death sentence awarded by the high court before the Supreme Court which in October 2010 upheld his conviction, but commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment.

In his petition filed in 2023, Singh has sought quashing of the October 21, 2021 recommendation of the SRB rejecting his premature release plea.

On behalf of Singh, senior counsel Mohit Mathur contended that the convict has already spent 25 years, including remission, in jail and that his conduct has been satisfactory — showing that he has reformed and lost potential to commit crimes.

The convict would be a useful member of society and for the last several years, he has been in open jail as well, Mathur submitted.

After the 2021 rejection, another SRB meeting was held on September 18, 2024 and his plea for premature release was rejected again.

Delhi