The Odisha government has officially declined the bail request of Dara Singh, who is currently serving a life sentence for the 1999 murders of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons in Keonjhar district. This decision follows Singh’s appeal to the Supreme Court, where he sought early release, citing his lengthy imprisonment of 26 years.
In July of this year, the Supreme Court instructed the Odisha government to make a determination regarding Singh’s plea. On August 31, 2026, after a special session of the State Sentence Review Board (SSRB), the government concluded that Singh’s request would not be approved. The meeting was led by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hemant Sharma and included five other members.
During the review, the board took into account a conditional recommendation from the Keonjhar district authorities made in March of the previous year. This recommendation suggested Singh’s premature release under certain conditions. However, the board found the district’s report lacking in specific recommendations and deemed it inconclusive.
“Furthermore, the district authorities informed the government on August 28, 2026, that a gathering of around 200-250 individuals associated with ‘Dara Sena’ had convened outside the district jail in Keonjhar on August 15 concerning Singh’s proposed release, during which inflammatory slogans were allegedly shouted. Nevertheless, the report did not provide specific recommendations and was found inconclusive,” the board stated.
“Considering the various facts and circumstances, the Board is therefore not inclined to endorse his early release at this time,” it added.
Previously, the SSRB had denied Singh’s requests on several occasions: November 24, 2016; June 24, 2019; December 24, 2020; January 12, 2022; and February 20, 2023, citing concerns about potential societal unrest and communal disturbances.
Dara Singh, whose birth name is Rabindra Kumar Pal, was convicted for the murders of Graham Staines and his sons, Philip (10) and Timothy (6), on the night of January 21, 1999. The family was killed while sleeping in their vehicle in Manoharpur village, following a Christian gathering. Singh led a mob that surrounded the vehicle, igniting it and preventing the victims from escaping, resulting in their deaths by fire.
Initially sentenced to death by the trial court, Singh’s sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Odisha High Court in 2005. In 2011, the Supreme Court upheld both his conviction and life sentence.
