The Supreme Court on Monday admitted the appeal of Santosh Kumar Singh and stayed the execution of his death sentence in the rape and murder case of Priyadarshini Mattoo.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishanan issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation on the appeal filed by Santosh Kumar, son of a former senior IPS officer, challenging the Delhi high court verdict convicting him and sentencing him to death.
Earlier, Santosh Kumar, who is presently lodged in Tihar Jail, had contended in his appeal against the Delhi high court judgment that the "acquittal by the trial court was correct and proper."
37-year-old Santosh Kumar said in the appeal that the observation of the high court while convicting him did not find any basis against the evidence on record.
The high court, which conducted a day-to-day hearing in the case following a public outcry, in its judgment on October 27, 2006, had reversed the trial court verdict acquitting him of the offence of raping and murdering 23-year-old Mattoo 11 years ago.
Justices R S Sodhi and P K Bhasin while setting aside the lower court's verdict, had termed it as "perverse" and sentenced Santosh Kumar to death, saying he deserved nothing less.
Santosh Kumar's acquittal by Additional Sessions Judge G P Thareja on December 3, 1999, had shocked the nation as the judge had said that he knew the accused had committed the crime, but gave him the benefit of doubt because of lack of evidence.
