Staines killing: SC seeks Odisha govt’s reply on convict Dara Singh’s remission plea

Stating that he has been in prison for over 24 years, Singh said he “has well understood and is repenting the consequences of his action taken in the fit of his youthful rage and at present seeks the mercy of this court so that he can give back to society through his service-oriented actions”.

The plea filed through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain said Singh “acknowledges and deeply regrets the transgressions perpetrated more than two decades ago”. “In the fervour of youth, fueled by impassioned reactions to the brutal history of India, the petitioner’s psyche momentarily lost restraint,” stated the petition.

Currently 61, Singh said he “has never been released on parole and could not even perform the last rites when his mother passed away”.

Singh said he “has already undergone more than the qualified period i.e. 14 years of sentence as stipulated in policy dated April 19, 2022” and “has served more than 24 years of actual imprisonment (without remission)”.

He said he had “no personal animosity towards any victim” and urged the court “to scrutinise not merely the actions but the underlying intent”.

The plea sought a direction to the Odisha government to consider his case in accordance with the 2022 guidelines for premature release of life convicts.

Odisha Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi represents the Keonjhar Assembly segment. During his earlier stint as the Opposition chief whip in the Odisha Assembly, Majhi had extended support to the demand for Singh’s release from jail. On September 21, 2022, he also sat on a dharna alongside the editor of Sudarshan news channel supporting the journalist’s demand for permission to meet Singh in Keonjhar jail. After assuming charge as the Chief Minister, Majhi has not made any comments on the issue.

Advocate Jain referred to the Supreme Court judgment allowing premature release of killers of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and said the basic objective of punishment is to bring about a reform in the accused individual.

Singh’s plea cited the famous words that “every saint has a past and every sinner has a future” and said, “The petitioner is reaching the twilight of his lifetime but remains incarcerated, without any hope of him being released prematurely by the state government and thus, his right under Article 21 of the Constitution is being infringed”.