The Delhi High Court has denied a parole extension to Santosh Kumar Singh, serving a life sentence for the Priyadarshini Mattoo murder. He has been ordered to surrender by Monday. His plea for premature release is pending before the court.
The Delhi High Court has refused to extend the parole granted to Santosh Kumar Singh and directed him to surrender by Monday. Singh is serving a life sentence in the Priyadarshini Mattoo murder case.
His plea for premature release is currently pending before the High Court and is listed for hearing on May 18. It has been submitted that he has already undergone 31 years of imprisonment.
Court's Decision on Parole
On Thursday, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani granted Singh time until Monday to surrender to custody. Singh had been on parole since December 3, 2025, as granted by the High Court, in continuation of the furlough earlier availed by him pursuant to orders passed by the jail authorities.
"In view of the above, this court does not find any basis to continue the petitioner's parole any longer," Justice Bhambhani said in an order dated March 19.
During the hearing, Advocate Urvika Suri, counsel for Hemant Mattoo, brother of the deceased, was present pursuant to an intimation issued on January 13. She sought to make submissions in the matter and requested that a copy of the petition be furnished to her.
Noting that the next of kin of the victim had not been informed about the pendency of the present petition seeking premature release, the court directed that due intimation be sent.
History of Premature Release Plea
On November 27, 2025, the Sentence Review Board (SRB) rejected the premature release of Santosh Kumar Singh. His case had been placed before the SRB pursuant to an order of the Delhi High Court.
Earlier, in July 2025, the Delhi High Court set aside the SRB's decision rejecting Singh's plea for premature release and directed the Board to reconsider the matter afresh.
Background of the Murder Case
Singh was convicted and awarded the death penalty by the Delhi High Court for the murder of Priyadarshini Mattoo, which took place on January 16, 1996. His sentence was later commuted by the Supreme Court.
Santosh Kumar Singh is the son of a former Inspector General of Police.
Justice Sanjeev Narula had set aside the SRB's recommendation and remanded the matter for fresh consideration. "I have seen some reformation in the petitioner," Justice Narula had observed while pronouncing the order.
The High Court had also issued certain directions to the SRB for reconsidering Singh's plea for premature release. He had challenged the SRB's earlier decision in 2023.
Priyadarshini Mattoo was found dead in her residence, following which a case of rape and murder was registered. Santosh Kumar Singh was acquitted by the trial court in 1999, triggering widespread public outrage. The prosecution subsequently challenged the acquittal in 2000.
He was later sentenced to death by the Delhi High Court on October 30, 2006, after the matter was heard on appeal. In October 2010, the Supreme Court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment. (ANI)
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