Supreme Court Sets August 19 Deadline for Odisha to Decide on Dara Singh's Remission

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Odisha government to decide by August 19 on the remission plea of Dara Singh, who has been in prison since 2000 for the murder of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two sons. The court also expressed an expectation that the state's sentence review board would take a decision well before that date.

Dara Singh, now 62, was a former Bajrang Dal activist. He was convicted of leading a mob that set fire to a station wagon carrying Staines, 58, and his sons Philip, 10, and Timothy, 6, near a church in Manoharpur village, Keonjhar district, on January 22, 1999. The attack killed all three.

In 2003, a trial court sentenced Singh to death, but the Orissa High Court commuted that to life imprisonment in 2005. The Supreme Court upheld the life sentence in 2011. Singh has been incarcerated in Keonjhar jail in Odisha. His co-convict, Mahendra Hembram, was released on parole in April 2022 and later granted remission on grounds of good conduct.

According to Odisha's premature release guidelines formulated in 2022, a convict whose death sentence has been commuted to life becomes eligible for remission after completing 25 years in prison, subject to the recommendation of the state's sentence review board and government approval. Singh has served over 26 years without any parole and has maintained good conduct, making him eligible under this policy, according to government sources.

During Tuesday's hearing, the Supreme Court bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi noted that the state's sentence review board had already met to consider Singh's plea but needed time for address verification. Advocate General Pitambar Acharya informed the court that the board had sought updated records from jail authorities and the district administration, as the current records pertained to 2025. The court was told that the board requires updated information before taking a final decision.

Singh's counsel, A.P. Singh, said the court wanted the state government to ideally release his client well before the August 19 deadline. The bench adjourned the matter to August 19, stating, "In the meantime, we expect that the committee shall take its decision."

The case has drawn attention due to its international implications, with the Australian government having followed the proceedings. The remission plea is being considered solely on legal and procedural grounds under Odisha's policy, with no political considerations involved, according to officials.