Supreme Court pulls up Odisha authorities over delay in deciding Dara Singh’s remission plea

The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the Odisha authorities for repeatedly delaying a decision on the remission plea of Ravindra Pal alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence in connection with the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two minor sons.

The Bench of Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Vijay Bishnoi refused to grant another adjournment after counsel appearing for the State sought time, stating that instructions were awaited.

“Last time also you sought time. What is your decision here?” Justice Misra asked.

The Bench referred to its August 19, 2026 order, noting that the matter had been adjourned specifically to enable the competent authorities to take a decision on the remission plea.

Questioning why the matter was being kept pending again, Justice Misra said, “Why are you necessarily adjourning the matter? Take a decision. You want to reject it, reject it. We will deal with it.”

The Court also questioned the repeated reference to “instructions” and sought to know who was competent to take the decision on the remission plea.

“What do you mean by instructions? You have to place the record. Nothing else,” Justice Misra remarked.

The Bench noted that the remission plea had already been pending for more than two years, observing, “You can’t keep it lingering like this.”

'Whether Yes or No, Authorities must decide'

The Supreme Court made it clear that the authorities could not indefinitely defer a decision on the plea.

Justice Misra explained that if the remission plea was rejected, the decision could be challenged, while if it was granted, the present petition might become infructuous. However, the decision itself could not simply be deferred.

The Bench also questioned counsel about who had instructed her to seek an adjournment. Counsel clarified that she was appearing on behalf of Advocate-on-Record T.V. Yogeshwaran, who was unavailable due to viral illness.

The Bench nevertheless declined to grant another routine adjournment.

“We are not going to adjourn. Next date we give you only peremptorily,” Justice Misra said.

The Court has fixed the matter for September 17, 2026, and directed the authorities to take a decision on the remission plea before the next hearing.

Last month, the Court had expressed hope that the Odisha government's Sentence Review Committee would take a decision on the remission plea of Ravindra Pal alias Dara Singh.

The Bench adjourned the hearing after the Odisha government sought a short deferment, informing the Court that the committee examining Singh's application for premature release had called for certain records, which were yet to be made available. Recording the State's submission, the Bench had observed: "In such circumstances, we deem it appropriate to adjourn this matter to 19.08.2026. In the meantime, we expect that the Committee shall take its decision."

About the plea

Singh moved the Supreme Court in 2024 seeking premature release under the Odisha Premature Release Policy, 2022, contending that he has undergone more than 26 years of imprisonment, maintained good conduct in jail, and satisfied the eligibility criteria for remission. He also relied on the principle of reformative justice and cited the Supreme Court's decision granting remission to A.G. Perarivalan, one of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

In his plea, Singh 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.

The Odisha government, however, informed the Court that the matter remained under consideration by the competent committee. Notably, Singh's case has reportedly been examined by five Sentence Review Committees in the past, all of which rejected his request for remission, with the last rejection occurring in February 2024.

What is Dara Singh is convicted for

Dara Singh was convicted for leading the mob that burned alive Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his sons, Philip (10) and Timothy (6), inside their station wagon at Manoharpur village in Odisha's Keonjhar district on January 21, 1999. While the trial court awarded him the death penalty, the Orissa High Court commuted the sentence to life imprisonment in 2005, holding that the case did not fall within the "rarest of rare" category. The Supreme Court upheld the life sentence in 2011.

Case Title: Rabindra Kumar Pal@ Dara Singh v. State of Odisha and Anr.

Bench: Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Vijay Bishnoi

Hearing Date: September 8, 2026

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