Journalism of Courage
Take a call, don’t keep it lingering: Supreme Court to Odisha on Dara remission plea
Questioning the delay, a bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi warned that it would summon the state's top officials if no decision was taken by the next date of hearing on September 17.
The court questioned how the Greater Noida magistrate could issue a notice to a student
The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the Odisha government for failing to take a decision on the remission plea 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.
Questioning the delay, a bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi warned that it would summon the state’s top officials if no decision was taken by the next date of hearing on September 17.
As the bench took up the matter on Tuesday, the state’s counsel sought four more weeks, citing the ill health of the Advocate on Record, and said he was still awaiting instructions.
Justice Misra said the state had sought an adjournment at the last hearing too. The bench referred to its August 29 order directing the State Sentence Review Board to take a decision and apprise the court by September 2.
Saying that the matter has been pending for over two years, the bench said it cannot be kept “lingering” forever and a decision would have to be taken.
“Why are you unnecessarily adjourning the matter? Take a decision. You want to reject it, reject it. We will deal with it,” Justice Misra said.
“Seek instruction or else we will summon your Secretary,” Justice Misra said, before finally agreeing to hear the matter on September 17.
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The court said that if his plea was rejected, the convict would have the option to challenge it, and if accepted, the petition would become infructuous.
The Supreme Court had issued notice on the remission plea on July 8, 2024. Saying that he had been in jail for 26 years, Dara Singh had asked that his plea for premature release be considered by the relevant committee of the Odisha government.
“This matter has been adjourned time and again to enable the respondents to take a decision on the plea of remission of sentence awarded to the petitioner who is incarcerated for a period exceeding 26 years.” the court had said on August 19.
It then further noted, “It appears that when the matter was adjourned last, the State Sentence Review Board was in the process of taking a decision on the plea of the petitioner. Based on that, the matter was adjourned. Today, the learned counsel representing the respondent has placed before us a letter of the Directorate of Prisons and Correctional Service, Odisha, addressed to the counsel representing the respondent wherein it is stated that the report from District Jail Kendujhar (Keonjhar) is yet to be received.”
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“We are not informed about the decision of the Sentence Review Board. List this matter on 02.09.2026. By which date, the Sentence Review Board shall take a decision and apprise us about the decision,” the court had said.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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