May 18,2018:

On Thursday, Delhi HC asked Santosh Kumar Singh, who is serving life term for rape and murder of law student Priyadarshini Mattoo in 1996, to file the complete details of his education.

High Court pointed out that Singh has been pursuing two-year LLM programme since 2012 and asked,"How long would he take to complete the course".

Justice Mukta Gupta directed that,"File a detailed affidavit explaining the studies he has done in his life and in which year. For how long his education will continue? Let us be clear about his education".

Making it clear that it was not stopping him from studying, it listed the matter for hearing on May 21. High Court was hearing Singh's plea seeking parole to write the LLM exams, scheduled to start from May 22.

Bench stated that,"For how long will your LLM go on? When this incident had happened, he had already completed LLB and was also pursuing some course in law at that time," it observed.

Convict's Advocate submitted that Singh was doing LLM in two branches and has completed the course in one of them and pursuing it in the other. He also said that a person cannot be stopped from pursuing his studies.

During the hearing, Delhi Government Standing Counsel (Criminal) Rahul Mehra opposed the parole plea submitting that Singh was seeking parole to write the LLM exam and also attend the wedding of his brother-in-law in Bihar.

 

25-year old Mattoo was raped and murdered in January 1996. Singh, a law student in Delhi University, was acquitted by the trial court in the case on December 3, 1999, but the Delhi High Court had on October 27, 2006 reversed the decision, holding him guilty of rape and murder and awarded him death penalty.

Santosh Kumar Singh, son of a Former IPS officer, had challenged his conviction and death sentence awarded by High Court.

In October 2010, Supreme Court had upheld Singh's conviction, but reduced the death sentence to life imprisonment.

Source PTI

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