Graham Staines murder case: Convict Dara Singh’s pardon plea rejected, Odisha tells Supreme Court
Dara Singh had approached the SC in 2024 seeking early release on the grounds that he had served more than 24 years in prison and was “repentant” for his act, which he had undertaken in a fit of “youthful rage”. | Photo Credit: Deepika Rajesh
The Odisha government on Thursday (September 17, 2026) told the Supreme Court that it has rejected the plea of pardon of Ravindra Pal alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two minor sons in 1999.
“Take whatever grounds you want to challenge it. Edit your petition and then argue,” Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi told counsel appearing for Singh.
The bench noted that a copy of the order rejecting the condonation application was supplied to Singh’s counsel.
“The counsel representing the petitioner (Singh) prays for two weeks to file the relevant amendment application and is allowed,” the Bench said while posting the matter after three weeks. The Supreme Court, which heard the matter earlier, pulled up the Odisha government for not taking a decision on Singh’s pardon plea.
Singh, 63, has been in prison for more than 25 years.
In 2024, he approached the Supreme Court seeking early release on the grounds that he had served more than 24 years in prison and was “repentant” for his act, which he had undertaken in a fit of “youthful rage”.
A mob led by Singh attacked Staines and his two sons – 11-year-old Philip and eight-year-old Timothy – as they slept in their station wagon and set fire to the vehicle in Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district on the night of January 22-23, 1999.
Singh, the prime accused in the triple murder, was convicted and sentenced to death by a CBI court in 2003.
The Odisha High Court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment in 2005 and it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011.
Staines and his wife Gladys worked with the evangelical missionary Mayurbhanj, who cared for leprosy patients.
Gladys Staines, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2005, said she had forgiven the killers of her husband and sons and felt no bitterness towards them.
Published – 17 Sep 2026 12:50 IST