Supreme Court modifies words in Graham Staines murder verdict
January 25th, 2011 - 3:01 pm ICT by ANINew Delhi, Jan 25 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday modified a portion of its judgment in the Graham Staines murder case.
The apex court bench of Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice B.S. Chauhan, in a suo motu order modifying the judgment, said it was deleting the portion, which read that the guilty, Dara Singh, and his accomplice wanted to teach Staines a lesson for his conversion activities.
The bench said the use of words “by use of force” is replaced with “by any means”.
In its judgement on last Friday, the apex court had upheld the life sentence for Dara Singh, convicted for killing Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in Orissa’s Koenjhar district in 1999.
Dara had filed an appeal challenging his conviction and the life sentence awarded to him.
The appeals were admitted by the apex court in October 2005.
On May 19, 2005, the Orissa High Court had commuted to life imprisonment the death penalty imposed by the sessions court on Dara Singh.
However, the High Court had acquitted eleven others who were awarded life terms by the trial court in the case.
Dara Singh and Mahendra Hembrom were found guilty of burning to death Staines and his sons, who were sleeping inside a van outside a church, at Manoharpur village in Koenjhar district of Orissa on January 22, 1999. (ANI)
- Staines murder case: Dara Singh seeks review of SC judgement - Mar 09, 2011
- Staines murder case: Supreme Court upholds life sentence for Dara Singh - Jan 21, 2011
- Apex court modifies Graham Staines murder verdict (Lead) - Jan 25, 2011
- Supreme Court modifies Graham Staines murder verdict - Jan 25, 2011
- Missionary's killer Dara Singh moves apex court for review (Lead) - Mar 10, 2011
- Apex court upholds life for Graham Staines' killers (Second Lead) - Jan 21, 2011
- Graham Staines killing: A timeline - Jan 21, 2011
- Missionary's killer seeks review of apex court verdict - Mar 09, 2011
- Apex court upholds life for Graham Staines' killer (Lead) - Jan 21, 2011
- Apex court upholds life term for Graham Staines' killers (Third Lead) - Jan 21, 2011
- Christians welcome modification of Staines murder verdict - Jan 25, 2011
- Staines killing worse than carnage, apex court told - Nov 11, 2010
- Welcome apex court decision on Dara Singh: Archbishop - Jan 21, 2011
- Apex court reserves ruling on sentence of Staines' killer - Dec 16, 2010
- Graham Staines killing: Convict's bail plea hearing adjourned - Oct 20, 2010
Tags: accomplice, apex, apex court, conversion activities, court bench, dara singh, death penalty, graham staines, judgement, last friday, life imprisonment, life sentence, mahendra, murder case, murder verdict, orissa high court, sessions court, suo motu, trial court, use of force