Graham Staines murder: As prime convict Dara Singh seeks release, Odisha told to decide in a month

Summary

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Odisha government to decide within a month on the remission plea of Ravindra Pal alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons. A Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi adjourned the matter to August 19 after the Odisha government informed the court that the State Sentence Review Board, which is examining Singh’s plea, had sought certain records that were yet to be made available. “In such circumstances, we deem it appropriate to adjourn this matter to 19.08.2026. In the meantime, we expect that the committee shall take its decision,” the Bench said. Speaking to The Indian Express , Singh’s counsel A P Singh said the state informed the court that the State Sentence Review Board had considered 56 remission cases, including Singh’s, at its July 6 meeting. “The state sought more time to verify certain records as Singh belongs to Auraiya district in Uttar Pradesh. The court has asked it to take a decision by August 15,” he said. A senior government official said the state was awaiting records from the Auraiya district authorities before placing its final recommendation before the apex court. He moved the Supreme Court in July 2024 seeking remission, stating that he had spent over 24 years in prison and had repented for his actions, which he described as having been committed in a “fit of youthful rage”. In May 2005, the High Court commuted Singh’s death sentence to life imprisonment, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in January 2011. Sujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and covers Odisha. His interests are in politics, policy and people’s stories.