Supreme Court Asks Odisha Govt To Decide Premature Release Plea Of Convict In Graham Staines Murder Case Within 6 Weeks

A bench comprising Justice Manoj Misra and Justice KV Viswanathan was hearing a writ petition filed by Singh seeking remission of his sentence. He stated that he has served more than 24 years in imprisonment.

The counsel for the State informed the bench that it is deliberating upon the issue. Considering this, the bench thought it fit to adjourn the matter by six weeks.

"In the meantime, it is expected that a decision with regard to above shall be taken. When the matter is listed on the next date of hearing, the decision so taken shall be brought on record," the bench observed.

Dara Singh was sentenced to death by the trial court in 2003. In 2005, the Orissa High Court commuted the death penalty to life imprisonment, which was confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2011.

In his writ petition, Singh, represented by Advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain, submitted that he committed the crime in a "fit of youthful rage" and was now repentant of his acts.

Relying on the reformative theory of punishment, Singh pleaded that he be allowed pre-mature release from prison, so as to go back to society as a reformed person. He placed reliance on the Supreme Court's 2022 judgment allowing the premature release of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

The crime happened on 22 January 1999, at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district, Orissa, when a mob led by Dara Singh set fire on Graham Staines's vehicle in which he and his two sons, Philip (aged 10) and Timothy (aged 6), were sleeping.

Case : RABINDRA KUMAR PAL @ DARA SINGH Versus STATE OF ODISHA | Diary No. 11407-2024