The Delhi high court on Monday awarded the death sentence to advocate Santosh Kumar Singh, convicted for commiting the rape and murder of Priyadarshini Mattoo, a Delhi University law student, eleven years ago.

Pronouncing the judgment in a jam-packed court room, Justices R S Sodhi and P K Bhasin ordered that "he (Singh) shall be hanged till death."

The court said he deserved nothing other than capital punishment.

Singh was arrested in 1996 and tried, but the trial court headed by G P Thareja gave him the benefit of doubt and acquitted him of the charges.

"He does not deserve to be pardoned. This is rarest of the rare cases," Justice R S Sodhi and Justice P K Bhasin said in their judgment.

The Delhi police had brought Singh to the court under heavy security and waited outside while the defence counsel and Central Bureau of Investigation advocates argued over the quantum of punishment.

Singh's face fell when he was told that the court had given him the death sentence. He is likely to challenge the judgment in the Supreme court.

Dressed in grey trousers and white shirt, Singh, a practising lawyer who is married and has a child, was crestfallen when the court handed down the verdict.

Singh was acquitted by the Sessions Court in 1999, a judgment that was described as "perverse" by the high court.

The Sessions Judge G P Thareja had held that though he knew that Singh had committed the murder, he was acquitting him because of lack of evidence.

The order by the high court division bench on Monday came after three-hour long arguments by the defence and prosecution over the quantum of sentence.

"We are of the opinion that a case of this kind in which the crime is committed in a pre-meditated way and grotesque manner, the convict deserves nothing other than death penalty," the bench observed.

The Delhi high court had convicted him on October 17.

Singh had been stalking Priyadarshini Mattoo for nearly two years following which she had lodged a complaint at two different police stations.

Chronology of Events:

January 23, 1996: Priyadarshini Mattoo raped and killed allegedly by Santosh Kumar Singh. Delhi police registers FIR.

January 25, 1996: Case handed over to the CBI. Agency registers case.

April 11, 1996: CBI files chargesheet in the case against Singh.

August 29, 1996: Charges framed.

August 11, 1997: Trial starts.

December 3, 1999: ASJ G P Thareja acquits Singh; lashes CBI for shoddy investigations.

February 29, 2000: CBI appeals in Delhi high court.

April 26, 2000: High court admits appeal.

October 17, 2000: High court issues bailable warrant against Singh.

July 22, 2006: CBI files application for early hearing.

August 31, 2006: High court orders daily hearings in the case.

Oct 17, 2006: High court convicts Santosh Singh for raping and killing Mattoo.

Oct 30, 2006: High court gives death sentence to Singh.

With PTI Inputs