NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Thursday rejected the requests for early release of convicts in murder cases of Jessica Lal, Priyadarshini Mattoo and Naina Sahni.
Jessica Lal murder convict Manu Sharma, Priyadarshini Mattoo's rapist and killer Santosh Singh, and Sushil Sharma -- convicted in the tandoor murder case -- were among 86 cases which approached the government for early release and were denied permission.
Delhi government's Sentence Review Board (SRB), in a meeting headed by Home Minister Satyendar Jain, recommended 22 convicts for release on completion of their sentences.
"The SRB recommended 22 convicts for release on completion of their sentences and rejected 86 cases. The rejected cases include the three high-profile convicts, government sources said.
Santosh Singh was convicted in the rape and murder of DU student Priyadarshini Mattoo in 1996. He was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to death but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2010 by the Supreme Court.
Manu Sharma was convicted in 2006 in Jessica Lal murder case and awarded life imprisonment and Sushil Sharma's death penalty was commuted to life imprisonment in 2013.