India • Jul 01, 2025

Delhi court reconsiders convict's plea in Mattoo case

Santosh Kumar Singh, convicted for the 1996 rape and murder of Priyadarshini Mattoo, is getting another shot at early release.
The Delhi High Court has set aside the Sentence Review Board's earlier rejection of his plea and asked for a fresh review.
Singh was first acquitted in 1999, but later found guilty by the High Court in 2006 and sentenced to death.

TL;DR

Singh's conduct in prison has been good, says plea

Singh's death sentence was changed to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court in 2010.
He's spent over 25 years behind bars, including time in an open jail.
Recently, he argued that his conduct in prison has been good and that he's shown signs of rehabilitation.
Justice Sanjeev Narula noted these improvements while sending his case back to the SRB for another look.