Bhubaneswar: Odisha govt has rejected the remission plea of Rabindra Kumar Pal alias Dara Singh, 62, who is serving a life sentence in Keonjhar district jail for the brutal killings of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons, ahead of a crucial Sept 17 Supreme Court hearing.On Jan 22, 1999, an alleged mob led by the Bajrang Dal activist attacked Staines, 58, and his sons Philip, 10, and Timothy, 6, while they were sleeping inside a station wagon near a church at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district. The vehicle was set on fire, killing all three and triggering nationwide outrage. “The government’s decision was guided by the prevailing ground realities and the potential ramifications of such a move. After a comprehensive assessment of the current situation, the premature release plea was rejected for the time being. The government will place its stand before the Supreme Court,” a top government officer told TOI.Official minutes of the State Sentence Review Board (SSRB) meeting, accessed by TOI, show the board on Aug 31 declined to recommend Dara’s premature release, citing concerns over possible law and order problems and communal tension. The development assumes significance as the SSRB’s Aug 31 decision was not discussed in the Supreme Court during the Sept 8 hearing. During the proceedings, the apex court had warned it would summon the concerned officers if no decision was taken on the remission plea. Odisha govt had then sought a 4-week adjournment, citing the illness of its advocate-on-record (AoR).The SSRB’s rejection was based on an adverse report submitted by the Keonjhar district administration on Aug 28. According to the board’s minutes, the district authorities reported that around 200 to 250 members of an organisation identified as the “Dara Sena” had gathered outside Keonjhar district jail on Aug 15 in connection with Dara’s proposed release. The report stated that provocative slogans were allegedly raised during the gathering. “…The board is therefore not inclined to recommend his premature release at this stage,” the SSRB noted in its minutes.The board had earlier rejected Dara’s remission pleas five times on various grounds, including concerns over the societal impact of his release and the possibility of communal disturbance. Notably, the SSRB minutes mention that the Keonjhar district administration, in a report submitted in March 2025, had conditionally recommended Dara’s premature release, suggesting that certain restrictions could be imposed to preserve social harmony.On Sept 22, 2003, a designated CBI court in Bhubaneswar awarded the death penalty to Dara and sentenced 12 others to life imprisonment. The Odisha high court subsequently acquitted 11 of the co-accused while upholding the convictions of Dara Singh and Mahendra Hembram. On May 19, 2005, the high court commuted Dara’s death sentence to life imprisonment while retaining Hembram’s life term. Hembram, now 63, was released prematurely on April 16, 2025. Dara moved the Supreme Court in 2024, seeking directions to the Odisha govt to consider his application for premature release.
