The Supreme Court on Tuesday expunged two controversial sentences from its ruling on the killings of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons, which had upheld the life imprisonment for Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh and his accomplice.Global council of Indian Christians(GCIC) welcomes the decision of the honourable judges to Suo Mottu to expunge the remarks liable to be mis used by the the bigots with ulterior motives
GCIC also expresses its deep appreciation of the civil society and media for the whole hearted support extended to the peaceloving Christians,after the staines verdict
The supreme court of India’s rare action of expunging its own remarks, which it called a clarification, came in the The court's rare action of expunging its own remarks, which it called a clarification, came in the wake of criticism in the media and by Christian organisations against reference to conversion. Dara Singh and his accomplice Mahendra Hembram, convicted for burning alive the Australian missionary and his two minor sons in January 1999, had on January 21 escaped death penalty with the Supreme Court ruling that the crime was not 'rarest of rare' and upheld the life sentence awarded to the duo by the Orissa High Court. GCIC had approached the chief Justice of India and his companion judges against the reference to conversion. Dara Singh and his accomplice Mahendra Hembram, convicted for burning alive the Australian missionary and his two minor sons in January 1999, had on January 21 escaped death penalty with the Supreme Court ruling that the crime was not 'rarest of rare' and upheld the life sentence awarded to the duo by the Orissa High Court  read more »

January 24th, 2011

The Supreme Court on January 21 upheld the verdict of the Orissa High Court and gave a life sentence to Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh, who burnt alive Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, Philip and Timothy, aged 10 and six respectively, on the night of January 22, 1999, as they slept in their jeep. The then President of India, K.R. Narayanan, had described the murder as “one belonging to the inventory of black deeds of history” and a “monumental aberration from the tradition of tolerance and humanity for which India is known”.  read more »

The Supreme Court Wednesday adjourned hearing on a bail plea by Rabindra Kumar Pal alias Dara Singh who is undergoing life sentence for the 1999 killing of Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two children Philip and Timoti in Orissa.
Staines and his two children were killed Jan 22/23, 1999, after a mob belonging to saffron outfit Bajrang Dal set on fire the jeep they were sleeping in after conducting a missionary camp.  read more »