In recent months alone, he received a 40-day parole in August last year, a 30-day parole in January, and a 21-day furlough in April.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the head of Dera Sacha Sauda, has been granted a 40-day parole. He is currently serving a 20-year jail sentence at Sunaria Jail in Rohtak, Haryana, after being convicted in a rape case in 2017.
This is not the first time Ram Rahim has been temporarily released. Since his conviction, he has been allowed to come out of jail 14 times on parole or furlough. In recent months alone, he received a 40-day parole in August last year, a 30-day parole in January, and a 21-day furlough in April. He has also been granted short-term releases during election periods, including the Delhi Assembly elections.
In 2019, Ram Rahim and three others were convicted in the murder of a journalist, a case that dates back more than 16 years.
During most of his temporary releases, Ram Rahim has stayed at the Dera Sacha Sauda ashram in Bagpat district of Uttar Pradesh.
Dera Sacha Sauda, headquartered in Sirsa, has a significant following across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and other states. In Haryana, the sect has a strong presence in districts such as Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, and Hisar.
Ram Rahim’s repeated paroles and furloughs have drawn sharp criticism from Sikh groups, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). These groups have questioned why a convicted criminal is being repeatedly granted temporary release.
