Supreme Court sets deadline for Odisha on Dara Singh remission decision

The Supreme Court has pressed the Odisha government to expedite its decision on a remission petition filed by Dara Singh, the life convict sentenced in the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two children in Odisha's Keonjhar district. A bench headed by Justice Manoj Misra cautioned state authorities that further procrastination would leave the court no option but to assume direct jurisdiction and rule on the matter itself.

The Staines case, which drew international attention and sparked widespread debate over religious violence in India, resulted in Singh's conviction for the brutal killing of the missionary and his young sons. Singh has since filed for remission of his sentence, a petition that has been pending with the state government for consideration.

During the hearing, the bench made clear that the state cannot indefinitely delay action on such petitions. The court's warning underscores the judiciary's willingness to step in when administrative processes stall on matters involving fundamental rights and the remission of sentences.

The remission plea has remained a sensitive issue given the high-profile nature of the Staines murders and their communal implications. The Supreme Court's intervention signals that procedural deadlocks on such petitions will not be tolerated, regardless of their controversial nature.