The Odisha government has rejected the bail plea of Dara Singh, who is serving his life sentence for the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons in 1999 in Keonjhar district. The decision comes after Singh’s plea before the Supreme Court, seeking premature release on the ground that he has spent a considerable 26 years behind bars.
In July this year, the Supreme Court directed the Odisha government to decide on his plea. On August 31, 2026, the government decided not to grant Singh’s plea after a special meeting of the State Sentence Review Board (SSRB). Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hemant Sharma chaired the meeting, which was attended by five other members.
While deciding on Singh’s plea, the board considered a conditional recommendation given by Keonjhar district authorities in March last year. The district authorities recommended that Singh be released prematurely, with certain conditions. However, the board said that the report of the district authorities lacked specific recommendations and was inconclusive.
“Further, the district authorities, in a letter to the government on August 28, 2026, have reported that on August 15, a congregation comprising approximately 200-250 people associated with ‘Dara Sena’ assembled in front of the district jail in Keonjhar in connection with the proposed release of the convict, during which provocative slogans were reportedly raised. However, the report lacks specific recommendations and is inconclusive,” the board stated.
“In view of certain facts and circumstances, the Board is therefore not inclined to recommend his premature release at this stage”, it added.
The SSRB had earlier rejected Singh’s pleas on November 24, 2016, June 24, 2019, December 24, 2020, January 12, 2022, and February 20, 2023, on grounds including “societal ramifications in apprehension of communal disturbance in the area”.
Who is Dara Singh
Dara Singh, whose real name is Rabindra Kumar Pal, was convicted and sentenced for the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his sons, Philip (10) and Timothy (6), on the night of January 21, 1999. They were murdered while they were sleeping inside their station wagon in Manoharpur village of Odisha’s Keonjhar district after attending a Christian gathering. A mob led by Dara Singh surrounded the vehicle, set it ablaze, and prevented the occupants from escaping. Staines and both his children were burnt alive.
Dara was convicted as the principal conspirator and sentenced to death by the trial court. In 2005, the Odisha High Court commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. Later in 2011, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction and the life sentence.
