Supreme Court Demands Swift Decision on Dara Singh's Release Plea

The Supreme Court has urged the Odisha State Sentence Review Board to promptly decide on Dara Singh's plea for premature release. Convicted for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines, the delay in decision has prompted the Court to warn of summoning state officials if no action is taken by September 17.

The Supreme Court has issued a stern warning to the Odisha State Sentence Review Board, urging a prompt decision on the plea filed by murder convict Rabindra Kumar Pal, also known as Dara Singh, seeking early release from his life sentence. Singh was convicted for the high-profile 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons.

During the proceedings, a bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi expressed disappointment over the Odisha State's conduct in delaying the decision and refusing adjournments requested by the respondent state. The Court set a strict deadline, stating that failure to make a decision by September 17 would result in summoning the State Chief Secretary or the appropriate authority.

The case, which dates back to a brutal incident in January 1999, saw a trial court initially sentencing Pal to death in 2003. This was later commuted to life imprisonment by the Orissa High Court in 2005, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011. Known for other convictions including the murders of Shaikh Rehman and priest Arul Das, Singh has now served over 26 years in prison.