Santosh Singh 'quiet, subdued and tense' after conviction

NEW DELHI; Santosh Singh, held in the Tihar jail after his conviction for raping and murdering Priyadarshini Mattoo, is a "quiet, subdued and tense" man as he awaits his sentencing by the Delhi High Court.

Tuesday's court verdict apparently came as a shock for Singh, who appears depressed and has not been talking to anyone in the prison, jail sources said.

Singh has been kept in Jail No 2 where over 1,000 convicts are kept and there were no special arrangements made for him, they said adding he could also use his knowledge of legal system to advice the other inmates.

A practising lawyer before his conviction in the murder case after a retrial, Singh had stayed in Tihar for three years as an undertrial ahead of his acquittal by a lower court in the hi-profile case.

After his release from the jail, he continued to come to Tihar to give legal assistance to the inmates free of cost, the sources said.

"Earlier, he was giving legal aid to inmates, when he was coming here as an NGO activist. Now also if he wants he can help the inmates," they said.

However, Singh has not been assigned any work so far in the jail since the Delhi High Court is yet to pronounce punishment for him in the case.

"In this jail, all the inmates are supposed to reach the factory by 8 am where they are given labour. Since Singh's punishment is pending, he has not been given any work," the sources said.

The work is assigned according to the efficiency, health and expertise of the convicts. As per the schedule, Singh has to get up at 5.45 am. By 7 am, the inmates are given breakfast and the lunch is served at around 12'o clock.