New Delhi: The family of Priyadarshini Mattoo and members of the ‘Justice for Priyadarshini Mattoo’ campaign met Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood on Wednesday to oppose the possible early release of Santosh Kumar Singh, convicted for her rape and murder. They submitted a letter urging him, as chairperson of the Sentence Review Board (SRB), not to allow Singh’s release under any condition.
The letter highlighted how Priyadarshini had lived in constant fear due to Santosh’s repeated stalking and harassment, which included physical assault and malicious complaints even before the crime. Despite her numerous police complaints, no strong action was taken, and the brutal murder in 1996 shocked the nation.
The Delhi High Court later awarded Santosh the death penalty in 2006, terming it a “rarest of rare” case, this decision came after massive public protests demanding justice.
In 2010, his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, and although the SRB previously rejected his early release, the Delhi High Court has asked the board to reconsider. The letter submitted today argues that Santosh’s dangerous behaviour pattern, shown before the murder, cannot be ignored while judging his prison conduct now.
It also refers to legal provisions such as the Delhi Remission Policy 2004 and Delhi Prison Rules 2018, which require a minimum 20 years of actual imprisonment in such heinous cases. The family reminded the minister of Supreme Court rulings that remission is a privilege, not a right, and should be denied if public safety is at risk.
The appeal came on what would have been Priyadarshini Mattoo’s 55th birthday. The campaigners said the release of her killer would damage public trust in the justice system and send a wrong message in a country still battling crimes against women.
