Supreme Court has ordered the Odisha government to decide within six weeks on Dara Singh’s remission plea for the 1999 murders of Graham Staines and his sons
OdishaPlus Bureau
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court directed the Odisha government to decide on the remission request of Ravindra Pal, also known as Dara Singh, who is currently serving a life sentence for the 1999 murders of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two young sons in Keonjhar district.
A bench comprising Justices Manoj Misra and K V Viswanathan instructed advocate Shibashish Misra, representing the Odisha government, to reach a conclusion within six weeks and report back to the court. Previously, on July 9 last year, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the Odisha government concerning Singh’s application for early release.
In his plea, submitted through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, Singh expressed his belief in Karmic philosophy and stated that he seeks to address the repercussions of his past actions. He emphasized his desire for a chance to reform, noting that he has spent over 24 years in prison and has ‘repented’ for the actions he took in a moment of ‘youthful rage.’
In a plea for leniency from the court, Singh expressed his commitment to ‘contribute to society’ through ‘service-oriented initiatives.’ He requested that the state government evaluate his situation for potential relief by the 2022 guidelines for the early release of life convicts, on the three convictions against him.
At 61 years of age, Singh stated that he has served more than the requisite 14 years as outlined in the policy established on April 19, 2022, having spent a total of 24 years in actual confinement without any remission. He emphasized that he has never been granted parole, highlighting that he was unable to attend his mother’s funeral to perform her last rites due to the denial of parole.
Singh asserted that the relevant authorities are legally required to evaluate his request for early release by the ‘Guideline for Premature Release 2022’ enacted by the Odisha government. He contended that the authorities failed to comply with these regulations, thereby compromising his right to liberty as guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution.
The petitioner expressed acknowledgment and profound regret for the offenses committed over twenty years ago. He stated that in the heat of youth and driven by passionate responses, he lost his control at the time of the murder.
Furthermore, the plea emphasized, “The court should examine not only the actions taken but also the intent behind them, highlighting that there was no personal hostility directed towards any of the victims.”
A group led by Singh assaulted Staines and his two sons—11-year-old Philip and 8-year-old Timothy—while they were asleep in their station wagon, subsequently igniting the vehicle in Manoharpur village, located in the Keonjhar district, during the night of January 22-23, 1999.
Singh, identified as the primary perpetrator of the triple homicide, was found guilty and sentenced to death by a CBI court in 2003. However, the Orissa High Court reduced his death penalty to life imprisonment in 2005, a decision that was later affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2011.
Mahendra Hembram, a co-conspirator of Dara Singh, is currently serving a life sentence in connection with the case, while the high court acquitted 11 other defendants due to insufficient evidence. Staines and his spouse, Gladys, were involved with the Mayurbhanj Evangelical Missionary organization, providing care for individuals suffering from leprosy.
In 2005, Gladys Staines received the Padma Shri award and expressed that she had forgiven the individuals responsible for the deaths of her husband and sons, stating that she harbored no resentment towards them.
