(This story was originally published on 3 October 2018. It is being re-posted to mark Priyadarshini Mattoo’s death anniversary)
Priyadarshini Mattoo a Delhi University law student was raped and murdered by Santosh Singh on 23 January 1996. Singh, son of IPS officer JP Singh, was also a law student along with Mattoo.
The Delhi police filed the FIR but the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation two days after the murder. On April 11, 1996, the CBI filed a chargesheet against Santosh Singh and the trial began over a year later. The court acquitted Santosh Singh on December 3, 1999 amidst widespread outrage and allegations that money had changed hands in the case.
Under fire for its alleged lapses in the probe, the CBI filed an appeal in the Delhi High Court in February 2000. The High Court delivered its judgement on October 17, 2006, convicting Santosh Singh for raping and killing Priyadarshini Mattoo.
The court accepted evidence against Singh that he was stalking the victim. He was seen outside her house on the day of murder. On October 30, 2006, the Delhi High Court sentenced Santosh Singh to death. He challenged the sentence at the Supreme Court, which commuted it to life imprisonment four years later.
Here’s a complete timeline of the Priyadarshini Mattoo rape and murder case:
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