The Supreme Court criticizes the Odisha government for delaying the remission plea of Dara Singh, warning it to make a decision before the next hearing
OdishaPlus Bureau
The Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the Odisha government for repeatedly delaying its decision on the remission plea of Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons.
“Don’t try to dodge us,” the bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi told the state government, expressing displeasure over what it described as continued avoidance of a decision.
The court directed the Odisha government to take a decision on Singh’s remission plea, warning that if the state failed to do so, the court would take a decision itself.
“You take a decision, whichever way you want. If you do not take a decision, then we will,” the bench said while posting the matter for hearing on September 2.
The court noted that proceedings in the matter had been adjourned several times to give the State Sentence Review Board an opportunity to consider the plea. However, the board had still not taken a decision.
Appearing for Odisha, advocate P V Yogeswaran placed before the bench a letter from the prison authorities stating that a report from the district jail in Keonjhar had not been received.
The explanation failed to satisfy the court.
“We are not concerned about who is communicating what. We cannot tolerate this avoidance of decision,” the bench observed.
Singh was convicted for his role in the mob attack in which Australian missionary Graham Staines and his sons, Philip, 10, and Timothy, 6, were burnt to death inside their vehicle in Keonjhar district in January 1999.
He was initially sentenced to death, but the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. Singh has spent about 26 years in prison.
The Supreme Court’s latest intervention puts the Odisha government under pressure to finally take a clear position on the remission plea, with the matter scheduled to come up again on September 2.