Priyadarshini Mattoo case HC asks panel to examine afresh convict's plea for early release

New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Tuesday set aside the decision refusing the premature release of the convict serving life term for the rape and murder of law student Priyadarshini Mattoo in 1996.
     Justice Sanjeev Narula outlined "an element of reformation" in Santosh Kumar Singh and referred the matter to the sentence review board (SRB) to consider afresh his plea for premature release.
     "I have found some elements of reformation in him. The SRB decision is set aside and I have referred back the matter to SRB to consider it afresh," the judge said.
     The court also framed certain guidelines to be followed by SRB while considering prisoners' pleas.
     It found the current framework of SRB not contemplating a formal psychological evaluation of a convict by a competent medical professional.
     In such a situation, it is difficult for the SRB to take an informed assessment as to whether a convict has lost the propensity to commit the crime, the court said.
     It further said the SRB must conduct psychological assessment of the convicts while considering their pleas which was not done in the present case.
     The court also set out various timelines to be adhered to by the board.
     A detailed judgment is awaited.
     Singh, in his 2023 petition, sought quashing of the recommendation of the SRB rejecting his premature release in the meeting held on October 21, 2021.
     His counsel said the convict had already spent 25 years in incarceration, including remission.
     Singh's conduct was stated to be satisfactory, indicating that he had reformed and lost every potential for committing a crime in future.
     He would be a useful member of the society and for the last several years, he has been in open jail as well, the counsel added.
     The court was earlier informed that another SRB meeting was held on September 18, 2024 and his case was again rejected for premature release.
     Mattoo, 25, was raped and murdered in January 1996. Singh, a law student of Delhi University, was acquitted by the trial court in the case on December 3, 1999, but the Delhi High Court had on October 27, 2006 reversed the decision, holding him guilty of rape and murder and awarded him death penalty.
     Singh, the son of a former IPS officer, challenged his conviction and death sentence awarded by the high court.
     In October 2010, the Supreme Court had upheld Singh's conviction, but commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)