Supreme Court Sets August 15 Deadline for Odisha on Dara Singh's Remission Plea
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 murders of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two minor sons, Philip and Timothy.
A Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi gave the state government until August 15 to take a decision. 'Let him also celebrate Independence Day. You must take a decision by August 15,' the court told the counsel for the Odisha government.
The court had earlier asked the state's sentence review committee to consider Singh's plea. On Tuesday, the government sought additional time, stating that the committee needed records from the district court. The Bench posted the matter for further hearing on August 19.
Singh, now 63, was the main accused in the triple murder. He was convicted and sentenced to death by a CBI court in 2003. The Orissa High Court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment in 2005, and the Supreme Court upheld that in 2011.
In his plea filed in 2024, Singh sought premature release, arguing that he had served over 24 years in prison and had 'repented' his actions, which he described as a result of 'youthful rage.' He stated that he believes in karmic philosophy and wants an opportunity to reform and engage in service-oriented actions.
Singh also cited the Odisha government's 2022 'Guideline for Premature Release' policy, under which he claims to have completed the qualifying period of 14 years. He argued that the authorities' failure to consider his case violates his right to liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The attack occurred on the night of January 22-23, 1999, when a mob led by Singh set fire to a station wagon in Manoharpur village, Keonjhar district, where Staines and his sons were sleeping. Staines and his wife Gladys had worked with the Mayurbhanj Evangelical Missionary, caring for leprosy patients.
Gladys Staines, awarded the Padma Shri in 2005, had publicly stated that she forgave the killers and held no bitterness. Singh's accomplice, Mehendra Hembram, is also serving life imprisonment, while 11 other accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The Supreme Court's direction comes after earlier orders asking the state to expedite the decision. The court expects the sentence review committee to conclude its deliberations before the next hearing.
