On 9th July, the brother of Ravindra Kumar Pal, also known as Dara Singh, submitted a plea in the Supreme Court appealing for the latter’s release who is currently serving sentences ranging from one to life imprisonment in four different cases. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain will represent Arvind Kumar Pal in the court.
On 14 July, the OpIndia team went to the house of Dara Singh, who has been behind bars in Odisha for the last 24 years and met his family to inquire about the matter. Dara Singh is originally from the Uttar Pradesh district of Auraiya. We took a train from Delhi to Phaphund, which is the closest station to his hometown and took a private vehicle to Bazar Kakod on the way to Auraiya City, which is about 10 kilometres away.
When we stopped to ask a rider for directions along the route, he asked us straight away in a frustrated tone, “Is he the same Dara Singh who killed the priest who converted Hindus to Christianity? He has suffered grave injustice.” Anyway, he showed us the way and we arrived at the residence of Dara Singh’s brother Arvind Kumar, located in the town of Kakod. He has preserved most of the documents of the legal battle he fought for Dara Singh for 24 years.
Odisha government refused multiple recommendations for his release
We finally made it to Dara Singh’s home and met his brother Arvind Kumar Pal. He informed us that letters regarding Dara Singh’s release have been sent from the jail to the Superintendent of Police and District Magistrate of Auraiya from time to time. The DM and SP advocated for his release in response to the letters. However, the Odisha government at the time disregarded the requests.
Arvind Pal provided us with evidence in the form of a letter dated 28th February 2018, which was sealed and signed by the District Magistrate of Auraiya and was sent as a reply to a report sought from Keonjhar Jail, Odisha on 18th November 2017. “It is recommended to release Ravindra Kumar Pal alias Dara Singh on premature release,” the officer wrote in letter number 821, citing the district superintendent of police’s report.
OpIndia also has the letter issued by the Superintendent of Police Auraiya on 18th January 2018 in which he considered Dara Singh as eligible for release. Afterwards, on 22nd September 2022, once again SP Auraiya filed his remarks on the report sought by Keonjhar Jail of Odisha and suggested the early release of Dara Singh.
Speaking to OpIndia, Arvind Kumar Pal claimed that the previous Odisha government ignored multiple pleas for Dara Singh’s release from the Uttar Pradesh government. He blamed the Biju Janata Dal administration, which was headed by Naveen Patnaik, the Odisha chief minister at the time.
Odisha government evaded reply sought from the Prime Minister’s Office
Dara Singh’s younger brother further told us that after the Odisha government repeatedly ignored the report of the administrative officials of Uttar Pradesh, he appealed to the Prime Minister’s Office and sent a letter on 19th May 2021 demanding the release of Dara Singh. Arvind Kumar Pal contended that his older brother, Ravindra Kumar Pal, also known as Dara Singh, had never been granted parole in the previous 21 years, in the letter. In addition, he brought several other issues to the government’s notice. He noted that the Odisha government’s only answer was to postpone the issue when the Prime Minister’s Office asked for a response to this letter.
Arvind Kumar Pal showed us a letter dated 14th July 2021, which was issued by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Jail of Odisha. He notified the Odisha Home Secretary in this letter that on 9th July of the same year, the Superintendent of Keonjhar Jail turned in a report which covered the whole matter. The DIG Jail had put the ball in the court of the state government.
Dara Singh has been in jail for more than 28 years
OpIndia investigated the report filed by the Superintendent of Keonjhar Jail, Odisha on 9th July 2021. The Jail Superintendent has admitted that till July 2021, Dara Singh has served more than 25 years and 3 months of his sentence including remission. The Jail Superintendent authorized higher authorities for further action. However, Arvind Kumar Pal charged that no decision has been taken by the Odisha government on this report so far and the file has been put on hold.
No criminal record in the local police station
Dara Singh is from the Auraiya district’s Dibiyapur police station region. The district government obtained Dara Singh’s information via the local police station following the request for a report to be made in order to secure his release from Odisha jail. Sub Inspector Sher Singh of the Dibiyapur police station handed in his investigation report on 15th September 2022 which pointed out that Dara Singh does not have a criminal record on file with the police station. The local police station officer also called for Dara Singh’s early release in his probe report.
Excellent behaviour in jail character certificate
The Superintendent of Keonjhar District Jail of Odisha issued a character certificate to Ravindra Kumar Pal alias Dara Singh on 10th June 2022 in which he noted that the latter has been serving jail term in Keonjhar Jail for the last 15 years. Out of this, 3 years of the sentence has been served in the presence of the then Jail Superintendent who issued the certificate and described Dara Singh as a person with good and satisfactory behaviour towards jail personnel and other inmates.
Hope from Yogi Adityanath
Arvind Kumar Pal also sent a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on 11th March 2023 and requested for help, informing that Dara Singh had not received parole for 23 years. He has also given information about the recommendation of Dara Singh’s release several times by the administrative officials of Uttar Pradesh. Arvind Kumar Pal has said that Dara Singh alias Ravindra Kumar Pal is now more than 60 years old, in the letter and in this situation, he should be allowed to spend the rest of his life among his family members in his ancestral residence.
Supreme Court is the last resort
Arvind Kumar Pal told us that from the police station in charge of Uttar Pradesh to the SP and DM, all were constantly recommending the release of his brother. His behaviour was also mentioned as good in the jail certificate. In the report of the Odisha administration, his sentence has been counted as more than 25 years (including exemption). The state government of Odisha kept circulating the letter to the Prime Minister’s Office. In such a situation, he sees the Supreme Court as his last hope.
The Odisha state government, the jail DG, and the jail superintendent Keonjhar have been named as opponents in Arvind Kumar Pal’s petition. The petition’s next hearing is scheduled for 27th August of this year. The family of Dara Singh is hoping for justice. Arvind Kumar asserted that the Odisha state government would have to inform the Supreme Court of the length of a life sentence and the fact that numerous Naxalites and other infamous offenders have been freed from prison after serving 15 years in the state.
Read the report in Hindi here.
