India, March 19 -- Odisha government has appealed to the Supreme Court of India (SC), seeking an extension of six weeks to respond to a clemency plea filed by convict Dara Singh. Currently serving a life sentence, Singh has requested mercy from the country's highest judicial body, official sources said on Wednesday.

The apex court had previously issued a notification to the State government, calling for their official response.

In his application, Dara Singh, also known as Rabindra Kumar Pal, cited the 2022 release of a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, also serving a life sentence, as a precedent for his own petition.

Singh was convicted for his role as the primary instigator in the 1999 murder of Australian missionary G...