Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s State Sentence Review Board has turned down the premature release plea of Dara Singh, the convict serving a life term for the 1999 killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons, ahead of a Supreme Court hearing on the matter on September 17.
The 67-year-old convict has been in prison for more than 26 years and six months and became eligible for consideration under the state’s 2022 remission policy. He had approached the Supreme Court in 2024 seeking directions to the Odisha government to examine his release under the guidelines.
The board took up his case at a special meeting on August 31 and concluded that his release could have wider social consequences and potentially affect communal harmony.
A recent report from the Keonjhar district administration, where Singh is lodged, was among the factors considered by the board. The report stated that around 200-250 people linked to Dara Sena had gathered outside Keonjhar District Jail on August 15 and raised provocative slogans.
The board observed that the district administration had not given a specific recommendation in its latest report and termed its assessment inconclusive. It nevertheless recommended that Singh not be released prematurely.
Singh’s remission requests have been rejected several times in the past—in 2016, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023—with concerns over communal harmony cited among the reasons.
The Keonjhar administration had recommended his release in March 2025, subject to conditions aimed at maintaining social peace. However, the board deferred the matter in May 2025, citing his convictions in three murder cases and seeking additional reports. It deferred the case again in September 2025 and sought an opinion from authorities in Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh, Singh’s native district. The Auraiya authorities subsequently favoured his premature release in February 2026.
The Supreme Court had in July 2024 taken note of Singh’s prolonged incarceration and said his premature release deserved consideration. More recently, it directed the state to take a definitive stand on his plea. On August 19, the court ordered the board to decide the matter by September 2 and warned that officials could be summoned if the issue remained pending.
A CBI court had awarded Singh the death penalty in 2003 after convicting him of murdering Staines, criminal conspiracy and rioting. The Orissa High Court in 2005 acquitted 11 other accused and commuted Singh’s death sentence to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court subsequently dismissed his appeal.
Singh was separately convicted in the killings of Catholic priest Father Arul Doss and trader SK Rahman in Mayurbhanj and was sentenced to life imprisonment in both cases in 2007. His appeals were dismissed by the high court.
Another convict in the Staines case, Mahendra Hembram, was released prematurely in April 2025.
Although prison records have described Singh’s conduct as generally good, his remission pleas have repeatedly failed. He had gone on hunger strikes in 2006 and 2008 and has not been granted parole or furlough. His two parole applications were rejected by the high court and the Keonjhar district magistrate.
