Priyadarshini Mattoo
| Priyadarshini Mattoo | |
|---|---|
| Born |
23 July 1970 Srinagar, India 
|
| Died | 23 January 1996 (aged 25) New Delhi, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Student |
Priyadarshini Mattoo (July 23, 1970 - January 23, 1996) was a 25-year-old law student who was found raped and murdered at her house in New Delhi on January 23, 1996. On October 17, 2006, the Delhi High Court found Santosh Kumar Singh guilty on both counts of rape and murder and on October 30 of the same year sentenced him to death. On October 6, 2010, the Supreme Court of India commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment. Santosh Kumar Singh, the son of a Police Inspector-General, had earlier been acquitted by a trial court in 1999, and the High Court decision was widely perceived in India as a landmark reversal. This decision went in favor because the facts were not presented correctly in the lower court.
The acquittal of Santosh Singh in 1999 led to the investigating agency CBI, challenge the judgment in the Delhi high court on February 29, 2000.
Justices RS Sodhi and PK Bhasin of Delhi High Court shifted from a traditional lax pace, with hearings every few months, to a day-to-day trial and judgment was reached in 42 days. The original acquittal was overturned and Santosh Singh was found guilty of murder and rape.
The case is one of several in India that highlight the ineffectiveness of traditional criminal law system, especially when it comes to high-profile perpetrators, including the Manu Sharma and Sanjeev Nanda acquittals.
After Priyadarshini finished school from the Presentation Convent School in Srinagar, she migrated with her family to Jammu. Priyadarshini received her BCom while in Jammu from MAM College, before being accepted to prestigious Delhi University to earn an LLB degree. It was during her time as a student in Delhi that Santosh Singh became besotted with her, and made indecent proposals. However, at one point, he started stalking her, and her family lodged several FIRs with the police. A police escort was provided for some time, but the stalking continued.
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