Santosh Kumar Singh, the man convicted by the Delhi High Court for raping and murdering 23-year-old Delhi University law student Priyadarshini Mattoo on January 23, 1996, was given the death sentence by Delhi High Court on Monday.
Bringing closure to a relentless campaign for justice by her family and civil society, the Delhi HC on Monday ruled that Santosh Singh "will hang till death".
Pronouncing the judgment, the bench comprising Justices R.S. Sodhi and P.K. Bhasin said: "The aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances and the convict, therefore, deserves no other sentence than death sentence."
The bench also observed that Santosh Kumar had been stalking Mattoo for more than two years "before actually sexually assaulting her and then killing her in a dastardly manner".
Addressing a jam-packed room, the bench said he should be "hanged till death".
Santosh Kumar Singh was present outside the courtroom and broke down when he heard the verdict. His father J.P. Singh, a senior retired Delhi Police official, consoled him.
A lawyer for the prosecution later told reporters that the court realised that Santosh Kumar deserved the death penalty and so accordingly gave it to him - almost three years after a lower court acquitted him of the crime on Dec 3, 1999.
A family member of the 23-year-old Mattoo, who was brutally killed and raped despite complaining more than once about Santosh Kumar stalking her, said the credit for the sentencing went "110 per cent" to the media, which he said was responsible for highlighting the injustice done by the lower court.
Another family member described it as "a historic judgement" that would set "a precedent, a deterrent".
"I thank the millions of people in Delhi, outside Delhi and also abroad who stood by us through e-mail and other forms of protest."
Earlier in the day, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Monday argued for death to Santosh Kumar. Additional Solicitor General A.K. Sinha said it was a "rarest of rare case" as the crime was committed in a diabolical and dastardly manner.
He said Santosh Kumar had caused 19 injuries on the body of Mattoo, broken her three ribs and then raped and murdered her.
A CBI lawyer described the death sentence as a victory for the investigating agency and the judicial system.
Santosh Kumar's counsel R.K. Naseem had sought life imprisonment, saying his conduct had been clean after the murder. He said Santosh Kumar was young and had a two-year-old daughter besides a mentally challenged elder brother to take care of.
The division bench had Oct 17 termed the lower court judgment acquitting Santosh Kumar as perverse and held that both charges of rape and murder had been proved by the prosecution.
It said Santosh Kumar was convicted because the prosecution had been able to prove the case by making "an unbroken chain of circumstances pointing to the culpability of the accused".
Bringing closure to a relentless campaign for justice by her family and civil society, the Delhi HC on Monday ruled that Santosh Singh "will hang till death".
Pronouncing the judgment, the bench comprising Justices R.S. Sodhi and P.K. Bhasin said: "The aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances and the convict, therefore, deserves no other sentence than death sentence."
The bench also observed that Santosh Kumar had been stalking Mattoo for more than two years "before actually sexually assaulting her and then killing her in a dastardly manner".
Addressing a jam-packed room, the bench said he should be "hanged till death".
Santosh Kumar Singh was present outside the courtroom and broke down when he heard the verdict. His father J.P. Singh, a senior retired Delhi Police official, consoled him.
A lawyer for the prosecution later told reporters that the court realised that Santosh Kumar deserved the death penalty and so accordingly gave it to him - almost three years after a lower court acquitted him of the crime on Dec 3, 1999.
A family member of the 23-year-old Mattoo, who was brutally killed and raped despite complaining more than once about Santosh Kumar stalking her, said the credit for the sentencing went "110 per cent" to the media, which he said was responsible for highlighting the injustice done by the lower court.
Another family member described it as "a historic judgement" that would set "a precedent, a deterrent".
"I thank the millions of people in Delhi, outside Delhi and also abroad who stood by us through e-mail and other forms of protest."
Earlier in the day, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Monday argued for death to Santosh Kumar. Additional Solicitor General A.K. Sinha said it was a "rarest of rare case" as the crime was committed in a diabolical and dastardly manner.
He said Santosh Kumar had caused 19 injuries on the body of Mattoo, broken her three ribs and then raped and murdered her.
A CBI lawyer described the death sentence as a victory for the investigating agency and the judicial system.
Santosh Kumar's counsel R.K. Naseem had sought life imprisonment, saying his conduct had been clean after the murder. He said Santosh Kumar was young and had a two-year-old daughter besides a mentally challenged elder brother to take care of.
The division bench had Oct 17 termed the lower court judgment acquitting Santosh Kumar as perverse and held that both charges of rape and murder had been proved by the prosecution.
It said Santosh Kumar was convicted because the prosecution had been able to prove the case by making "an unbroken chain of circumstances pointing to the culpability of the accused".
