New Delhi, 17 September (H.S.): The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing on the remission plea of Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence in connection with the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons, after the Odisha government informed the court that the State Sentence Review Board had rejected his plea.

During hearing, counsel appearing for the Odisha government said that on August 31, the Odisha State Sentence Review Board had decided to reject Dara Singh’s plea seeking remission of his sentence. During an earlier hearing, the Supreme Court had directed the Odisha government to take a decision on his remission petition.

On behalf of Dara Singh, it was submitted that he had been in prison for more than 24 years. In his petition, Dara Singh referred to the release of those convicted in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The petition states that Dara Singh accepts responsibility for the offence committed more than two decades ago and expresses remorse for it. He has also stated that he had no personal enmity towards Graham Staines and urged that his plea for remission of sentence be considered.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar