The Supreme Court docket on Tuesday pulled up the Odisha authorities for failing to take a choice on the untimely launch of Dara Singh, also referred to as Rabindra Kumar Pal, who’s serving a life sentence for the homicide of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons.
A Bench comprising Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Vijay Bishnoi expressed sturdy displeasure after the Odisha authorities sought a four-week adjournment, citing the sickness of its Advocate-on-Report (AoR).
The Court docket questioned why the matter was being delayed regardless of its earlier route to the State to take a choice on Singh’s remission.
“Why are you lingering like this? Take a choice, settle for or reject,” Justice Misra informed the State’s counsel throughout the listening to.
The Bench referred to its August 19, 2026 order, by which it had famous that the State Sentence Assessment Board was within the technique of contemplating the matter and had particularly directed the authorities to take a choice.
When the counsel sought extra time and mentioned the matter could possibly be thought of on September 17, the Bench made it clear that the State couldn’t proceed searching for adjournments.
“You may’t go on like this,” Justice Bishnoi noticed.
Justice Misra identified that the matter had been adjourned repeatedly for almost two years and requested who was liable for taking the choice.
The counsel informed the Bench that he had no directions on the problem. The Court docket then warned that it will summon the State Secretary if the federal government did not act.
“We aren’t adjourning. Search instruction or else we’ll summon your Secretary,” Justice Misra mentioned.
The Court docket finally directed that the matter be listed on September 17 and requested the Odisha authorities to tell it of the choice taken in compliance with the August 19 order.
The Bench additional warned the State to take a choice or face the opportunity of its officers being summoned earlier than the Court docket.
It could be recalled that on the earlier listening to, the Court docket granted one last opportunity to the Orissa Sentence Assessment Board to resolve on his untimely launch utility. It orally mentioned that on subsequent listening to if no determination is taken, the Court docket will take its personal determination.
The convict Singh is searching for remission of his sentence and acknowledged that he has served greater than 25 years in jail. As per the State’s remission coverage, remission might be thought of for convicts whose loss of life sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment after completion of 25 years of incarceration.
Dara Singh was sentenced to loss of life by the trial courtroom in 2003. In 2005, the Orissa Excessive Court docket commuted the loss of life penalty to life imprisonment, which was confirmed by the Supreme Court docket in 2011. In his writ petition, Singh, represented by Advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain, submitted that he dedicated the crime in a “match of youthful rage” and was now repentant of his acts.
Counting on the reformative principle of punishment, Singh pleaded that he be allowed untimely launch from jail, to return to society as a reformed individual. He positioned reliance on the Supreme Court’s 2022 judgment allowing the untimely launch of the convicts within the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
Case Particulars: RABINDRA KUMAR PAL @ DARA SINGH Versus STATE OF ODISHA | Diary No. 11407-2024
