BJP Govt in Odisha Rejects Premature Release Plea of Hindutva Man Dara Singh.

Secular BJP Govt in Odisha Rejects Premature Release Plea of Hindutva Man Dara Singh in Graham Staines Murder Case.

Upendra Bharti | HENB | New Delhi | Sept 18, 2026:: The Odisha State Sentence Review Board has rejected the plea seeking the premature release of Dara Singh, also known as Rabindra Kumar Pal, who is serving a life sentence for the killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two pre-teen sons, who were burned to death in 1999.

The decision was conveyed to the Supreme Court on Thursday during a hearing before a bench comprising Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi.

The Odisha government informed the court that the Sentence Review Board had passed an order rejecting Singh’s remission plea on August 31, 2026, Live Law reported.

Following the development, the Supreme Court adjourned the matter and allowed Singh to amend his writ petition to challenge the rejection. The court directed that the matter be listed after three weeks.

“The State has rejected the plea of remission with order dated 31.8.26. The learned counsel for the petitioner is allowed to file an appropriate amendment application. List after three weeks,” the court ordered.

Graham Staines and His Sons Burned Alive

On the intervening night of January 22–23, 1999, in Manoharpur village in Odisha’s Keonjhar district, Graham Staines, a 58-year-old Australian Christian missionary, was burned to death along with his two sons—10-year-old Philip and seven-year-old Timothy.

Staines and his sons were sleeping in their station wagon outside a church in the village when the vehicle was attacked by a mob. Staines and his sons reportedly woke up and attempted to escape, but were prevented from doing so by the attackers.

Staines had travelled to the area with his sons, who were on a break from their schooling in the hill city of Ooty. His wife and daughter did not accompany them, having decided to remain behind.

The mob was led by Dara Singh, a local figure who was reported to have links to the Bajrang Dal. Singh was accused of targeting Staines over allegations that the missionary was involved in the forced conversion of Adivasis (tribal people of remote rural areas).

Remission Plea Before Supreme Court

Singh approached the Supreme Court in 2024 seeking remission of his life sentence, submitting that he had spent more than 25 years in prison. Under the state’s remission policy, premature release may be considered for certain convicts who have completed 25 years of incarceration after a death sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment.

His petition relied on the reformative theory of punishment. Singh claimed that the crime was committed in a “fit of youthful rage” and expressed remorse. His lawyers also cited the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision concerning the premature release of convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

The Supreme Court had repeatedly sought a decision from the Odisha authorities on the remission plea. On August 19, the court gave the Sentence Review Board a deadline to decide the matter, indicating that it could otherwise consider passing an appropriate order itself.

Another Convict Released After 25 Years

In 2025, Mahendra Hembram, one of the convicts in the Graham Staines murder case, was released from Keonjhar jail after serving 25 years in prison on grounds of “good behaviour,” following a recommendation by the Odisha State Sentence Review Board under the state’s premature-release policy.

Following his release, supporters reportedly garlanded him and raised Hindutva slogans, including “Jai Shri Ram.”

The rejection of Dara Singh’s remission plea comes after the BJP came to power in Odisha in June 2024. The BJP government in Odisha has gradually tightened its secular stance since it came to power in the state. Hence, it is not ready now to release Hindutva activist Dara Singh, even after he has served more than 25 years in prison.The decision means that Singh will remain in prison despite having completed more than 25 years of incarceration, subject to the outcome of his pending legal challenge before the Supreme Court.
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