New Delhi: "After a span of 10 years the judiciary has shown transparecy in awarding justice. The judiciary, the media and the campaingners need to be congratulated for justice has been done at last," said an exuberant Chaman Lal Mattoo on Monday.
He had just heard of the conviction of Santosh Singh for raping and murdering his daughter Priyadarshani Mattoo 10 years ago.
"It’s the young boys and girls of this country who kept this case alive. There may be judicial lapses but justice has finally prevailed. This judgement is a stepping stone for all those cases that are waiting for justice," C L Mattoo, who is in Jammu and Kashmir presently, added.
Priyadarshini's brother, Hemant Mattoo who is in the US, spoke to CNN-IBN and said, "There was a lot of pressure on law enforcement agencies like the police even before the crime was committed. There was pressure on the police to let Santosh Singh off many times - even after a complaint of harassment had been registered against him. There was complete partiality and favouritism even before the crime."
He added that though he had not spoken to his father, but he knew that his father would be extremely happy and relieved at the verdict.
"My father relentlessly fought for Priyadarshini. It’s a day of reckoning for him because somehow he always felt that he had let his beloved daughter down," said Hemant Mattoo.
"Justice has been done. Common people in the country can now breathe with ease. This is a step in the right direction," said Chaman Lal Mattoo, who broke down while giving his reaction.
He added, "My daughter cannot come back. But at least, her soul will be in peace today."
He also thanked CBI Director Vijay Shanker for taking personal interest in the case.
Indu Jalali, a close friend of Priyadarshani, who had been monitoring the case from the beginning, said she had no words to express her joy that justice had finally been done.
"Though delayed, at least justice has been done," she said.
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Another family friend, Bollywood director Ashok Pandit, said, "We feel that Priyadarshini Mattoo has been reborn today. I have constantly been with her father during this and she was like a sister to me. It has been a constant struggle for all of us."
He saluted the media community for bringing the matter to the fore and for coming out as one against Santosh Singh. "It was the media that got this verdict for us," he said.
"I think Santosh Singh should be hanged. I feel there is no difference between him and someone like Mohammad Afzal," Pandit said.
Says Neelam Katara, the mother of Nitish Katara who was also murdered and who is also fighting for justice for her son, “This verdict vindicates my stand and faith in the system of justice and the judiciary. Of course there are loopholes that need to be filled, but the judgement has instilled faith back in our system.”
"When you are fighting against money and political power things do become very difficult. The courts need to work in a time-bound scale. My case was proceeding well till the key witness went abroad. The judiciary does not have an executive arm. The victim’s family should be made part of the trial," she added.
Nitish Katara's case is another high-profile murder case in which the main accused are the sons of politicians.
“We all hang our heads in shame that a senior citizen had to wait for six years to get justice. It is sad that the justice gets delayed by each passing day. In fact somebody needs to answer this question as to why this judgement was delayed foe six long years,” she added.
Santosh Singh, son of a former IPS officer, had been acquitted by a lower court in 1999 during the trial of the case related to the brutal rape and murder of Priyadarshini.
The CBI's review petition came up for hearing in August in the Delhi High Court, which on Monday convicted Santosh Singh for both rape and murder.
(With inputs from PTI)
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