‘Don’t try to dodge us’: SC pulls up Odisha Govt over delay in Graham Staines convict’s remission

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday criticised the Odisha Government for dragging its feet on the remission plea of Ravindra Pal alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two young sons.

Supreme Court issues firm ultimatum

Expressing strong displeasure over repeated delays, a bench, comprising Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi, warned state authorities against stalling the process further.

“You take a decision whatever you want to. Otherwise we will take our own. If you don't take a decision, we will,” the bench told the counsel representing the Odisha Government.

“We can't tolerate this avoiding taking a decision,” the court added.

Procedural delays questioned

The top court pointed out that the matter had already been postponed multiple times to give the State Sentence Review Board time to deliberate on the plea. Singh has remained incarcerated for over 26 years.

Although the court noted in July that the review board was actively processing the request, state counsel presented a letter from the Directorate of Prisons and Correctional Services indicating that a report from the Keonjhar district jail was still pending.

“We are not informed about the decision of the Sentence Review Board,” the bench said.

Refusing to accept administrative delays as a valid reason, the court scheduled the next hearing for September 2, directing the state to finalise its decision before then.

“We are not concerned about how you are communicating, to what authority you are communicating. You just take a decision,” the court observed.

“But don't try and dodge us by giving us the letter... How is it relevant? It is the board which has to take a decision.”

Background of the 1999 Keonjhar triple murder

1999: On the night of January 22–23, 1999, a mob led by Dara Singh trapped Graham Staines and his sons – Philip (11) and Timothy (8)- inside their station wagon in Manoharpur village, Keonjhar district, and set the vehicle ablaze.

2003: A special CBI court convicted Singh and sentenced him to death.

2005: The Orissa High Court commuted the sentence to life imprisonment.

2011: The Supreme Court upheld the high court's decision.

Graham Staines and his wife Gladys Staines worked with the Mayurbhanj Evangelical Missionary organisation providing care for leprosy patients. Gladys Staines, who received the Padma Shri in 2005, publicly forgave her family's killers and chose to continue her humanitarian work in India.

Dara Singh's remission plea

In 2024, the 63-year-old convict approached the apex court seeking early release, arguing that he has completed more than 24 years of actual jail time without remission and has “repented” for his actions committed in a fit of “youthful rage”.

In his petition, Singh stated that he adheres to karmic philosophy and sought a chance to reform his character to cure the effects of bad karma. Assuring the court of his intent to contribute positively through “service-oriented actions”, Singh requested that his release be evaluated under Odisha’s Guideline for Premature Release 2022, arguing that the failure of authorities to act infringes upon his fundamental right to liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.

PTI