Odisha rejects premature release of Dara Singh serving life for murder of Graham Staines, two sons
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Odisha Rejects Premature Release of Dara Singh Serving Life for Murder of Graham Staines, Two Sons
NEW DELHI, 15 September 2026 — The Odisha state government formally denied a petition for the premature release of Dara Singh, a convicted Bajrang Dal activist serving a life term for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines, his wife Gladys and their two sons, Philip and Timothy.
On 14 September 2026, the Odisha Cabinet, convened at the Secretariat in Bhubaneswar, acted on the recommendation of the Prison Review Committee, which concluded that Singh “does not satisfy the statutory criteria for remission” under the Prisons Act, 1894. The decision was announced in a press release issued by the Department of Home and Prison Affairs and subsequently reported by NDTV and Reuters.
Singh was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Orissa High Court in 2005 after being found guilty of abetting the mob that set the Staines family’s vehicle ablaze in Manoharpur village, Keonjhar district, on 23 January 1999. The case, which drew international condemnation and prompted diplomatic protests from Australia, has remained a touchstone for communal‑violence jurisprudence in India.
The state’s refusal to grant remission was justified by officials as a “matter of public interest and moral responsibility,” emphasizing the gravity of the crime and the need to uphold the victims’ memory. Human‑rights groups, while acknowledging the legal process, urged the government to ensure that any future parole considerations adhere strictly to the established legal framework.
The decision closes a months‑long legal battle that saw the petitioner, a senior prison official, argue that Singh’s conduct in prison merited early release. The Odisha government’s stance aligns with earlier statements from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which has repeatedly underscored that crimes motivated by communal hatred will not be treated leniently.
Sources: NDTV, Reuters, India Today, official Odisha Government press release.
