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The Supreme Court on Thursday granted two weeks to murder convict Rabindra Kumar Pal alias Dara Singh to challenge the Odisha governments decision rejecting his plea for premature release from life imprisonment in the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons.
A bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi was informed that the State Sentence Review Board had rejected Pals plea after considering the facts and circumstances of the case, including the gravity of the offence. The matter has been posted after three weeks. Pal has been in custody for nearly 27 years and has served more than 26 years of his life sentence. The Odisha governments decision was taken by the State Sentence Review Board at a special meeting on August 31, 2026, following the Supreme Courts August 19 order directing the State to take a decision on his premature release plea. The Boards proceedings show that Pals plea had earlier been rejected on five occasions November 24, 2016; June 24, 2019; December 24, 2020; January 12, 2022; and February 20, 2023. The Board said the earlier rejections were based on various grounds, including apprehension of societal ramifications and communal disturbance in the area. The Board also considered a recommendation made by the Keonjhar district authorities in March 2025, which had stated that Pal could be allowed premature release subject to certain conditions to maintain social harmony. However, the district authorities submitted another report on August 28, 2026, which was considered by the Board before taking its decision. According to the report, a congregation of around 200-250 persons associated with Dara Sena had gathered outside the District Jail in Keonjhar on August 15 in connection with Pals proposed release. The report stated that provocative slogans were allegedly raised during the gathering. The Board noted that the latest report did not contain any specific recommendation on Pals premature release and was inconclusive. However, the report lacks specific recommendations and is inconclusive, the Board recorded. The Board ultimately declined to recommend his premature release at this stage. In view of all the above mentioned facts & circumstances, the Board is therefore not inclined to recommend his premature release at this stage, it said. The development comes after the Supreme Court had earlier pulled up the Odisha authorities over the delay in deciding Pals plea. At the previous hearing, the bench had warned that it would summon the State Chief Secretary or the appropriate authority if the decision was not taken within the time granted by the Court. You decide, otherwise we will summon the Secretary or whoever is the authority, the Court had said. The Court had then directed Odisha to inform it of the decision taken pursuant to its August 19 order. On Thursday, after the State placed its decision before the bench, Pals lawyer was given two weeks to challenge the rejection. (ANI)
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