Supreme Court tells Odisha government to take a call on Graham Staines murder convict’s remission plea

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court instructed the Odisha government to promptly resolve Dara Singh's remission plea concerning the Graham Staines murder conviction. If the Sentence Review Board (SRB) fails to make a decision within two weeks, the court will make the decision itself. The bench of justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi expressed concern over the delay, asserting that the SRB must take a stance on the matter.

The Odisha government, represented by advocate PV Yogeswaran, informed the court that the SRB is awaiting a report from Keonjhar's District Jail regarding Singh's current location. The court emphasized that it does not wish to know which authority is communicating with the SRB; the government must make a decision, either way, without dragging out the proceedings.

The SRB has been adjourned multiple times to enable a timely decision on Singh's remission plea. Singh, also known as Rabindra Kumar Pal, had approached the Supreme Court in 2024, seeking a premature release. He was convicted of burning alive Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in 1999. In August 2024, the court heard Singh's plea for early release and requested the state's response.

Singh mentioned his good behavior in jail and expressed remorse for his actions, citing his age (62) and lengthy imprisonment (beyond 26 years) as reasons to benefit from Odisha's premature release policy implemented on April 19, 2022. Staines' sons were six and 10 years old at the time of their murder. The death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Orissa High Court in 2005, and confirmed by the Supreme Court in January 2011.

Singh is currently serving life sentences in two other cases, with his last remission plea decision made in February 2024. Throughout his lengthy imprisonment, Singh claims he has never been granted parole. Previous sentence review committees rejected his remission petition five times. The court noted that Singh deeply regrets his actions and attributes his momentary lapse in restraint to youthful fervor and passionate reactions to India's historical trauma.

He asserts no prior animosity towards Staines or his sons but was overwhelmed by distress at the barbaric acts committed against India by the Mughals and the British.