Odisha Government Denies Remission Plea of Triple Murder Convict Ravindra Pal

Supreme Court Hears Remission Case

New Delhi: The Odisha government informed the Supreme Court on Thursday that it has denied the remission request from Ravindra Pal, also known as Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two young sons.

During the proceedings, Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi advised Singh's counsel to amend their petition and present their arguments accordingly.

The court acknowledged that Singh's legal representative had received a copy of the order dated August 31, which rejected the remission plea.

The bench granted Singh's counsel two weeks to submit an appropriate amendment application and scheduled the next hearing for three weeks later.

Initially, the Odisha government's counsel informed the bench about the state's decision to reject Singh's plea for remission.

Previously, the Supreme Court had criticized the Odisha government for its delay in addressing Singh's remission request.

At 63 years old, Singh has spent over 25 years in prison.

In 2024, he approached the Supreme Court seeking early release, arguing that he had served more than 24 years and expressed remorse for his actions, which he attributed to a moment of 'youthful rage.'

Singh claimed to adhere to 'karmic' philosophy and requested a chance to reform and rectify the negative karma from his past actions.

In a tragic incident, Singh led a mob that attacked Staines and his sons, aged 11 and 8, as they slept in their vehicle, setting it ablaze in Manoharpur village, Kendujhar district, on the night of January 22-23, 1999.

Singh was convicted of the triple murder and initially sentenced to death by a CBI court in 2003.

The Orissa High Court later commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment in 2005, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011.

Graham Staines and his wife, Gladys, were involved with the Mayurbhanj Evangelical Missionary, which provided care for leprosy patients.

Gladys Staines, who received the Padma Shri award in 2005, publicly forgave the individuals responsible for the deaths of her husband and sons, expressing no resentment towards them.

The Odisha government made its decision to deny Singh's remission plea during a special meeting of the State Sentence Review Board (SSRB) on August 31, where it was concluded that 'given certain facts and circumstances, the Board is not inclined to recommend his premature release at this time.'

The government noted that Singh's previous petitions for remission had been rejected multiple times on various grounds, including concerns about potential communal unrest.

In August, the Supreme Court had instructed the SSRB to make a decision regarding Singh's remission request and report back to the court.

In his plea, Singh expressed a desire to contribute positively to society through 'service-oriented actions.'

He also requested that the state government evaluate his case based on the 2022 guidelines for the premature release of life convicts.

Currently incarcerated in Kendujhar district jail, Singh argued that he has surpassed the required 14-year sentence under the April 19, 2022 policy and has served over 24 years without remission.

He contended that the relevant authorities failed to consider his case for early release as mandated by the 'Guideline for Premature Release 2022' established by the Odisha government.

Singh claimed that this oversight has compromised his right to liberty as guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution.