Model Jessica Lal, Priyadarshini Mattoo’s murderers could be released soon
New Delhi : Santosh Singh, convicted in the 1996 rape and murder of Delhi University student, Priyadarshini Mattoo, is the latest name added to the list of prisoners who are being considered for an early release, a government official familiar with the development said.
The Sentence Review Board (SRB) will meet on Thursday and decide the fate of more than a hundred prisoners, including Santosh Singh, Manu Sharma and Sushil Sharma. The names of the latter two were presented to the SRB in its last meeting on June 24, when the board deferred a decision for the next hearing.
Santosh Singh has been in prison since 2006, since he was sentenced to death by the Delhi high court. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court in 2010.
Manu Sharma was convicted in 2006 for the murder of model Jessica Lall and given a life sentence. Sushil Sharma was convicted in 2006 in the Naina Sahni tandoor murder and also sentence to life imprisonment.
Last week, Delhi home minister Satyendar Jain’s office called the offices of the other six board members and informed them about the October 4 meeting.
The SRB, comprising Jain, director general (prisons) Ajay Kashyap, home secretary Manoj Parida, a Delhi police officer of the rank of joint commissioner, a district judge, law secretary Anoop K Mendirata, and a government-appointed probation officer, will meet and discuss if the prisoners should be released.
A prison officer said Santosh’s name has been included for the first time. A practising lawyer at the time of his arrest in 2006, he has a clean record in prison.
In 1996, Santosh Singh, son of IPS officer JP Singh, who was a joint commissioner in the Delhi police, was arrested for the rape and murder of third-year law student Priyadarshini Mattoo.
The 23-year-old was found dead at her house in Vasant Vihar in January 1996. The police said Singh stalked Mattoo for over two years. The two were fellow students at Delhi University.
In 1999, a city court acquitted Singh of the charges, highlighting inaction by Delhi Police. The verdict triggered protests across the country. India’s then president, KR Narayan, said that the “cathedrals of justice have become like casinos”. The police appealed the sentence in Delhi high court, which convicted him in 2006.
Confirming Singh’s inclusion in the list, a jail officer said, “As per the prison rules, we are duty-bound to include his name and send it to the SRB. His prison record in clean. He has not flouted any rule in the last 14 years.”
With most board members giving positive reviews about the prison conducts of Manu Sharma and Sushil Sharma, the board deferred the cases of the two men during the July 24 meeting. The two have also been transferred to the ‘open’ and ‘semi-open’ jail.
“It will be interesting what the board decides. Whatever they decide will be approved or denied by Delhi’s lieutenant governor. Interestingly, the Delhi HC, while hearing a PIL recently, reminded the state government about release rules. No prisoner can be kept in jail beyond 20 years. With remission, Sushil Sharma has completed 28 years, while Manu Sharma has done 20 years,” said a home department official who asked not to be named.
courtesy : hindustantimes.com
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They were like my brothers: Survivor recalls how local Muslims helped her to safety after J&K attack
Srinagar: One of the survivors of the horrific attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, a resident of Karnataka, shared that local Muslim men helped her and her child reach a safer location, describing them as her “brothers” for their support and compassion.
Pallavi, the survivor, stated that she and her son were with her husband, Manjunath Rao, at the time he was shot. “We had reached the spot by horse riding. My husband was looking to buy something for my son to eat. Within minutes, I found my husband in a pool of blood. He died in front of my eyes, and I was helpless,” she shared.
Expressing gratitude to the locals who came to her aid during the horrific incident, Pallavi said that they have been extremely supportive and caring. “Three local Muslims, reciting ‘Bismillah’, helped us come down from the spot where the attack took place. They were like my brothers,” she said.
She added that one of them carried her son, while the other two helped her navigate the difficult terrain.
Pallavi, a manager at the Birur branch of the Malnad Areca Marketing Cooperative Society (MAMCOS), said it had been her husband’s dream to visit Kashmir. Visibly distressed, she said, “Now, I feel we should not have come here.”
Manjunath Rao, a 47-year-old realtor, was on a trip to Jammu Kashmir with his wife and their 18-year-old son. They had left Shivamogga for the trip on April 19 and were scheduled to return on April 24.
Geetha, the mother-in-law of Manjunatha Rao, expressed deep sorrow, stating that the family had sent their children to Kashmir believing the government's assurances of safety. She said they would not have allowed the trip had they been informed that the situation there was unsafe.
Meanwhile, district in-charge Minister Madhu Bangarappa informed the bereaved family about the arrangements made by the state government to bring Manjunatha Rao's mortal remains back to Shivamogga.
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