On September 17, the Odisha government informed the Supreme Court that its State Sentence Review Board (SSRB) has rejected the premature release plea of Bajrang Dal activist Rabindra Kumar Pal alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons, Philip and Timothy. The decision followed a Supreme Court fiat to the state to decide on his remission plea.
Why did Dara Singh approach the Supreme Court?
He first approached the Supreme Court in July 2024 seeking premature release, stating that the state government had not considered his applications seeking remission, which had violated his rights under Article 21 of the Constitution. He said he had spent more than 14 years in jail, which is the minimum qualifying period under the government’s April 19 remission policy. His lawyer had cited the Supreme Court order to release A G Perarivalan in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case by invoking its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution.
Singh later sought a more liberal remission policy as he had already spent more than 24 years and 11 months in jail. He stated that he deeply regretted the offences committed over two decades ago and sought an opportunity to “give back to society” through service-oriented work. He further claimed that he had no personal animosity towards the victims and described his actions as the result of youthful rage.
What does the law on remission of sentence say?
The guidelines for premature release of 2022 say that a SSRB has to be constituted to review the sentence and recommend premature release. Every convicted prisoner, whether male or female, undergoing a sentence of life imprisonment and covered by the provisions of Section 433A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, is eligible to be considered for premature release after serving 14 years of actual imprisonment.
What is the process for remission?
Every superintendent of a central, circle or district jail who has prisoners undergoing sentences of life imprisonment prepares a comprehensive note in each case at least a year in advance of the due date. The note comprises the social and family background of the prisoner and details of the offence for which he was convicted and sentenced. It also looks at the circumstances under which the offence was committed, the conduct of the prisoner during incarceration, behaviour if released on probation, and the mental health or any serious disease the prisoner is suffering from.
The SP of the district where the prisoner resided at the time of the commission of the offence is also asked for an opinion. The collector too inquires into the desirability of the premature release and submits his report. On receipt of the report of the collector and SP, the jail superintendent puts the case before the IG of Prisons at least a month in advance of the proposed meeting of the Board.
The IG of Prisons examines the case and makes his/her own recommendations.
When did the Supreme Court first hear the case and what was its first direction?
On March 19, 2025, the Supreme Court directed the Odisha government to consider and decide Singh’s plea for remission within six weeks.
What were the observations of the SC on September 8, 2026, on August 19?
Coming down heavily on the state government for the delay, the Supreme Court said on September 8, “You cannot keep it lingering like this. You have to take a decision, either yes or no,” and directed the state to take a decision before the next hearing on September 17.
Earlier, on August 19, the SC had expressed strong displeasure over the delay. “If you (Odisha government) don’t decide, we will,” the SC had observed.
Why did the state govt take so long to decide Singh’s plea?
The district authorities of Keonjhar had given a conditional recommendation in March 2025 stating that he may be allowed premature release, subject to certain conditions to maintain social harmony. But the SSRB held that the report was inconclusive.
Why did the SSRB not take up Singh’s case while it decided over 50 other prisoners?
The SSRB had sought certain documents from the Keonjhar district administration on ingh’s remission, which were yet to be submitted.
When it took up Singh’s case on August 31 after being slammed by the SC, what was its decision and on what grounds?
The Board rejected Singh’s remission plea, citing concerns over social harmony. His remission pleas were rejected on November 24, 2016, June 24, 2019, December 24, 2020, January 12, 2022, and February 20, 2023 on various grounds, including societal ramifications and apprehension of communal disharmony.
On November 11, 2024, the case was placed before the SSRB again, which deferred it to obtain a fresh opinion from the district authorities. Subsequently, the Keonjhar district authorities recommended his case for premature release in March 2025.
On May 17, 2025, it was placed before the SSRB and deferred on the ground that “he was convicted in three murder cases of five people including two minor boys. Death sentence commuted to life imprisonment and suggested for further report from district administration.”
Four months later, the Board again deferred the case, seeking a fresh opinion from the authorities of Auraiya district in Uttar Pradesh, where Singh belongs, since the last report had been received in 2022. The Auraiya authorities submitted their opinion in February 2026, recommending his premature release.
When his case came up for consideration on July 6, 2026, the SSRB deferred it to obtain a fresh opinion from the Keonjhar district authorities, since the previous report recommending his release had been received in March 2025 with certain conditions. The Board mentioned that a fresh opinion was awaited.
The Board also mentioned that a congregation of 200 to 250 persons had assembled in front of the Keonjhar jail and shouted provocative slogans on August 15, 2026, in connection with his release.
Who is Dara Singh?
Son of late Mihilal Pal, Dara Singh hails from Kodar village under Dibyapur police station in Auraiya district of UP. Prior to his involvement in crime, he was working as a Hindi teacher at Janta High School, Mallipur, under Patna police station in Keonjhar district.
On the night of their murder on January 22, 1999, Graham Staines and his two sons, ten-year-old Philip and six-year-old Timothy, attended a gathering at Manoharpur, a remote village in Keonjhar district. They were asleep in their station wagon when a mob of around 60 to 70 people, led by Singh, surrounded their vehicle and set it on fire. Police records say the mob prevented the Staines from escaping.
After a year-long manhunt, Singh was arrested on the night of January 31, 2000. Fourteen accused faced trial in the Khurda Sessions Judge’s Court, which was the designated CBI court for the case. On September 22, 2003, the trial court convicted 13 of the accused. Singh was awarded the death sentence. Twelve others received life imprisonment, while the fourteenth, Anirudha Dandapat, was acquitted.
All 13 accused went in for appeal before the Orissa High Court, which commuted the death sentence of Singh to life imprisonment in 2005. Another accused, Mahendra Hembrum, had his life sentence upheld by the HC, which acquitted the remaining 11. In 2011, the Supreme Court upheld the life sentence and refused to restore the death penalty for Singh, holding that the case did not fall within the “rarest of rare” category.
Hembram was released prematurely on April 16, 2025 from Keonjhar district jail.
Now that the Board has rejected remission, what next? Can the Board reconsider?
The Board meets every three months. There is no bar on it reconsidering a case rejected by it earlier.
What are the options before Singh?
Dara Singh has very limited options. He announced on September 17 that he would move the Supreme Court again, challenging the rejection of his remission plea.