Supreme Court Sets Deadline for Odisha Government on Dara Singh’s Remission Plea
Bhubaneswar: The Supreme Court has given the Odisha government until August 19 to decide on the remission plea of Dara Singh, who has been imprisoned since 2000 for the tragic deaths of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two sons. The court expressed a preference for Dara’s release before Independence Day, urging the state to act swiftly.
Dara’s lawyer, A P Singh, stated that the state’s sentence review board had met to consider the remission plea but needed more time to verify some details. The bench, consisting of Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi, indicated that they expected the committee to reach a decision promptly.
The government has mentioned that the review board is looking favorably at Dara’s plea, noting that he has spent over 26 years in jail without any breaks and has shown good behavior. The state’s remission policy makes him eligible for release after such a lengthy incarceration.
Another convict, Mahendra Hembram, who was released last year for good conduct, believes Dara deserves similar consideration, stating, “Dara is optimistic.”
Background on Dara Singh’s Case
Dara Singh, now 62, was convicted of leading a mob that set fire to Staines’ vehicle in Manoharpur village on January 22, 1999, resulting in the deaths of Staines, aged 58, and his sons, Philip and Timothy, who were just 10 and 6 years old, respectively. Dara hails from Auraiya district in Uttar Pradesh and currently resides in a jail in Keonjhar, Odisha.
The Advocate General, Pitambar Acharya, informed that the review board could not make an immediate decision as it required updated records from the jail and district administration. Under Odisha’s 2022 guidelines for premature release, any convict whose death sentence is commuted to life becomes eligible for remission after serving 25 years, contingent on the board’s recommendation and the state’s approval.
In the Staines case, 18 individuals were initially charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation. In 2003, Dara was sentenced to death while 12 others received life sentences. However, the Orissa High Court later reduced Dara’s death sentence to life imprisonment, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011.
