The Priyadarshani Mattoo case should come as a "food for thought" for the judiciary since the same set of evidence is being seen differently by courts leading to inconsistent verdicts, says former CBI director Vijay Shankar.
The Priyadarshani Mattoo case should come as a "food for thought" for the judiciary since the same set of evidence is being seen differently by courts leading to inconsistent verdicts, says former CBI director Vijay Shankar.
Shankar, who was instrumental in the appeal and pursuing the case in Delhi High Court as CBI Director, today said he was "sad" with different verdicts being pronounced right from the judgement of the trial court.
"Sessions court acquits the accused on benefit of doubt and the Delhi high court convicts him to death penalty and now Supreme Court finds some merit in his plea...All these verdicts are based on the same set of evidence," says Shanker, who has been associated with the case as Additional and Special Director before becoming the Director of the CBI in 2005.
Shanker, a 1969 batch IPS officer of UP cadre, remembers the day when the father of the victim had approached him with tears in his eyes after the Sessions Court had acquitted the accused.
"In such a gruesome crime of murder of an innocent young woman, Apex Court's ruling of today is at best only some sort of justice (to the family) as justice has been already delayed for nearly 16 years.
Such varied standards of criminal justice leading to varied conclusions at Sessions court, the High Court and the Supreme Court 'are disturbing'," he said.
Elaborating, he said "on the same set of evidence, Sessions court preferred to give benefit of doubt acquitting the accused, the High Court decided to order him to be hanged to death treating it as a rarest of rare crimes and now the apex court finds some merit in the plea.
"This is a food for thought for all those who have a belief in rule of law and particularly to those who are responsible for dispensing justice."
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