Supreme Court pulls up Odisha government over Dara Singh’s remission plea

<div id="readability-page-1" class="page"><div><div><picture><!--[if IE 9]><video style="display: none;"><![endif]--><source media="(min-width: 1600px)" sizes="960px" srcset="https://th-i.thgim.com/public/news/national/o1ovsr/article71443448.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/22th_gramers.jpg"><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1599px)" sizes="640px" srcset="https://th-i.thgim.com/public/news/national/o1ovsr/article71443448.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/22th_gramers.jpg"><source media="(min-width: 321px) and (max-width: 767px)" sizes="400px" srcset="https://th-i.thgim.com/public/news/national/o1ovsr/article71443448.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_660/22th_gramers.jpg"><source media="(max-width: 320px)" sizes="320px" srcset="https://th-i.thgim.com/public/news/national/o1ovsr/article71443448.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_320/22th_gramers.jpg"><!--[if IE 9]></video><![endif]--><img src="https://www.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png" alt="Graham and Gladys Staines are seen with their children Philip, Esther and Timothy in this file picture. Dara Singh, whose official name is Rabindra Kumar Pal, was sentenced to death by a trial court in 2003 for the 1999 killings of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, aged six and 10" title="Graham and Gladys Staines are seen with their children Philip, Esther and Timothy in this file picture. Dara Singh, whose official name is Rabindra Kumar Pal, was sentenced to death by a trial court in 2003 for the 1999 killings of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, aged six and 10" data-original="https://www.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png" fetchpriority="high"></picture></div><p> Graham and Gladys Staines are seen with their children Philip, Esther and Timothy in this file picture. Dara Singh, whose official name is Rabindra Kumar Pal, was sentenced to death by a trial court in 2003 for the 1999 killings of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, aged six and 10 | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT </p></div><div id="content-body-71442822"><div id="schemaDiv" itemprop="articleBody"><p>The Supreme Court on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) pulled up the Odisha government over the delay in deciding the remission plea of Graham Staines murder convict Dara Singh and cautioned that it would summon State officials if the Sentence Review Board failed to take a decision within 10 days.</p><p>Staines and his sons, aged six and 10, were sleeping in their vehicle parked outside a church when a mob set it on fire and prevented them from escaping.</p><p>Posting Singh’s petition for hearing on September 17, a Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi said the State government could not continue to defer a decision.</p><p>“You cannot avoid taking a decision. You have to decide one way or the other. For two years, you have been delaying the decision... Otherwise, we will summon your Secretary or whoever is in charge right now,” the Bench said.</p><p>During the hearing, counsel appearing for the Odisha government sought a four-week adjournment and said the State’s decision would be conveyed on the next date of hearing.</p><p>The Bench, however, expressed displeasure over the continued delay, pointing out that in its August 19 order it had already directed the State to take a call on the remission plea.</p><p>“Last time also, you sought time. Convey your decision. We had specifically said you would take a decision by the next date... Why are you unnecessarily seeking an adjournment? You can’t keep this lingering like this,” the Bench said, noting that a decision had been pending for over two years.</p><p>The State’s counsel assured the Bench that a decision would be taken by the next hearing and that the Advocate General of Odisha would be present to assist the court.</p><p>The court accordingly posted the case for hearing on September 17 and directed the State to inform it of the decision taken on the remission plea.</p><p>Singh, whose official name is Rabindra Kumar Pal, was sentenced to death by a trial court in 2003 for the 1999 killings of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, aged six and 10. The Orissa High Court upheld his conviction in 2005 but commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment, which was affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2011.</p><p>In 2024, Singh approached the Supreme Court seeking premature release after spending more than two decades in prison. He has sought the benefit of Odisha’s 2022 premature release policy, citing his age, conduct in prison, period of incarceration and remorse for the crime. His petition states that he “deeply regrets” his actions, which he attributed to the “fervour of youth”.</p><p>His plea for remission has previously been considered and rejected by five Sentence Review Boards, most recently in February 2024.</p><p>Apart from the Staines murder case, Singh is serving life sentences in two other cases in which he was convicted in 2007. The convictions were upheld by the High Court in 2022 and, in one of the cases, by the Supreme Court in 2023.</p></div><p> Published <span>- September 08, 2026 08:02 pm IST</span></p></div></div>