Staines triple murder case: Supreme Court gives ultimatum to Odisha on Dara Singh’s remission plea

The Supreme Court of India criticized the Odisha government for delaying a decision on the remission plea filed by Dara Singh, a convict serving a life sentence for the triple murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons in 1999. The incident occurred when a mob set fire to the Staines family's vehicle outside a church, preventing them from escaping the blaze.

The Supreme Court's Bench, headed by Justice Manoj Misra, warned the State government that procrastination would lead to the Court taking over the matter. Justice Misra emphasized that the Court would not tolerate the government's avoidance of making a decision. The remission petition was filed in 2024, stating that Singh had served 26 years of his life sentence, which is above the 25-year threshold as per the Odisha Remission Rules.

The State government was yet to decide on the plea, and the Court gave the government a final opportunity to take a call on the matter. The prison authorities informed the Court that crucial documents were still awaited, but the Court noted that it had not been informed about the decision of the Sentence Review Committee. Singh, who was arrested in January 2000 after a year-long manhunt, has been in custody since then.

He was initially sentenced to death in 2003, which was later commuted to life imprisonment by the Orissa High Court in 2005 and confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2011. In his remission plea, Singh claimed to have committed the crime in a "fit of youthful rage" and expressed repentance.