Bhubaneswar, August 19: Taking a strong exception, the Supreme Court on Wednesday gave one last opportunity to the Odisha Sentence Review Board to decide on the premature release of Dara Singh, aka Rabindra Kumar Pal, who is serving a life sentence in the murder case of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons in 1999 in Keonjhar district.

A bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi took exception to the delay in deciding Pal's plea, who has undergone more than 26 years of his life sentence.

It orally observed that on next hearing if no decision is taken, the Court will take its own decision.

The Court was informed that when the matter was last adjourned, the Sentence Review Board was in the process of considering Pal's plea. However, no decision of the Board was placed before the Court, it noted.

At the last hearing, the Court asked the Odisha Government to decide on the premature release by August 19. However, the court was informed that no decision has been taken yet.

Justice Misra orally remarked that this Court will not tolerate indecisiveness and directed the review board to decide his plea by September 2, or else the Court will decide his plea.

"List this matter on September 2, 2026. Sentence Review Board shall take a decision and apprise us. Take a decision; otherwise, we will. We cannot tolerate this; no decision," the Court said.

Dara Singh was sentenced to death by the trial court in 2003. In 2005, the Orissa High Court commuted the death penalty to life imprisonment, which was confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2011.

The crime happened on 22 January 1999, at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district, when a mob led by Dara Singh set fire to Graham Staines's vehicle in which he and his two sons, Philip (aged 10) and Timothy (aged 6), were sleeping. The three were burnt alive inside their station wagon.