Priyadarshini Mattoo case: CBI for upholding death sentence

NEW DELHI: CBI on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the death sentence awarded to Santosh Kumar Singh for rape and murder of Delhi University student Priyadarshini Mattoo was correct.

Singh, son of former senior IPS officer, was acquitted by the trial court on December 3, 1999 but the Delhi High Court had on October 27, 2006, reversed that decision by holding him guilty for the offence of rape and murder.

In the hearing on the appeal of Singh before an apex court Bench comprising Justices H S Bedi and C K Prasad, CBI today commenced the arguments by saying that the High Court had correctly appreciated the evidence leading to his conviction.

Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra, assailed the trial court verdict by saying that despite appreciating majority of evidences of prosecution, the accused was given benefit of doubt which was later overturned by the High Court.

Singh, now lodged in Tihar Jail, has contended the "acquittal by the trial court was correct and proper".

Senior advocate Sushil Kumar, appearing for 40-year--old Singh, submitted the observation of the High Court while convicting him did not find any basis against the evidence on record.

Both sides are relying on the forensic and medical reports to buttress their arguments.

Mattoo, the 23-year-old law student, was found murdered at her south Delhi residence on January 23, 1996.

Justices R S Sodhi (since retired) and P K Bhasin of the High Court, while setting aside the lower court's verdict, had termed it as "perverse" and sentenced Singh to death, saying "he deserved nothing less".

Singh's acquittal by Additional Sessions Judge G P Thareja on December 3, 1999, had sparked an outrage as the judge had said that he knew the accused had committed the crime but gave him the benefit of doubt because of lack of evidence.