CL Mattoo alleged that it was a "pre-determined decision" by the CBI not to file the petition in the apex court.
The father of slain law student Priyadarshini Mattoo has expressed disappointment over the CBI's failure to file a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging the commutation of death sentence awarded to her killer Santosh Kumar Singh.
The last date of filing the review plea expired today.
CL Mattoo alleged that it was a "pre-determined decision" by the CBI not to file the petition in the apex court.
"We feel disappointed... It has shocked us," Mattoo said when asked whether he was let down by the CBI.
"After the verdict was pronounced by the judges of the Supreme Court, we were shocked about the lenient way they (CBI) have taken the case," Mattoo told CNN-IBN.
Last month, the Supreme Court had upheld the conviction of Singh in the 14-year-old rape and murder case of the Delhi college student but reduced the death sentence to life imprisonment, saying certain things were in his favour.
Disappointed over the verdict, Mattoo had written to the CBI director Ashwani Kumar requesting the agency to file a review petition.
"We did approach the director of CBI asking are you going to file petition for the review of the case? But there was no response for the last three weeks. It was shocking for the family," Mattoo said.
CBI's version was not immediately available.
Santosh Kumar Singh, son of a former senior IPS officer, was acquitted by the trial court on December 3, 1999, but the Delhi high court had on October 27, 2006, reversed that decision by holding him guilty of rape and murder.
CBI had sought upholding of the death sentence saying the high court had correctly appreciated the evidence leading to his conviction.
Santosh, a law student in the Delhi University, had raped and murdered Priyadarshini, a third-year law student, in January 1996.
In his letter to the CBI director, Mattoo had said his family was "shattered" with the Supreme Court verdict after a "long drawn battle" of more than 14 years.
"After consulting our legal counsel, we have decided to request you to go ahead with a review petition to seek death penalty for the accused as was awarded earlier by the high court," he said adding they view it as a "rarest of rare case".
In the letter dated October 21, Mattoo had said, "in the event CBI does not file the petition kindly inform us at the earliest. We as parents of the victim would move ahead ourselves to seek justice in that case".
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