Mattoo case: Verdict victory of commoner, media

Dharmshala Oct 31: Mr Chaman Lal Mattoo, father of rape-and-murder victim Priyadarshani, hailed the Delhi High Court verdict of capital punishment to accused Santosh Singh, earlier acquitted of the crime, as the victory of common people and media who helped him in getting justice after a decade.

''The verdict has again restored my faith in judicial system as t though it was delayed, justice at least has been done,'' a visibly emotional Mr Mattoo told UNI yesterday reacting to the Delhi High Court verdict.

''My daughter Priyadharshani will not come back by this historic verdict but this will certainly prove to be a deterrent to the misguided sons of affluent families who under the influence of power resort to heinous crimes and go scot free,'' he said.

''The court has described it as a rarest of the rare cases, something which I had been shouting, for the last last ten years,'' he said.

Mr Mattoo said he was Grateful to the unflinching public and media support that helped him succeed in bringing the matter to its logical conclusion.

Santosh Singh, son of the former Director General of Police of Pondicherry J P Singh was found guilty on both counts of rape and murder of Mattoo at her Vasant Kunj residence in New Delhi on January 23, 1996. A Bench of Justices R S Sodhi and P K Bhasin announced the death sentence yesterday.

Mr Mattoo also expressed confidence that this verdict would also help in the high-profile Jessica Lall and Nitish Katara murder cases reach their logical conclusions.

Saying that his bold and strong daughter Priyadharshani was the source of inspiration for him to give a fight, he said,'We have to fight for every victim daughter of the nation at all costs''.

Mr Mattoo was bitterly critical of the Delhi police authorities about whose negligence court has also passed strictures. They did not respond properly to Priyadarshini's complaint of Santosh stalking and posing threat to her life, he lamented.

''Had they acted promptly and rightly, my daughter would have been alive,'' he said.

He however, praised CBI Director Shankar for his sincere effort in providing all circumstantial evidences in continuous chain which helped the court to convict the accused.

UNI

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