Ram Rahim gets 30-day parole, 12th temporary release in 7 years

Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Tuesday walked out of the Sunaria jail in Rohtak after he was granted a 30-day parole. This is his 12th temporary release from jail since 2017, and eighth ahead of assembly polls in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi, where he has a significant following.

Ram Rahim’s release comes eight days ahead of the Delhi assembly elections on February 5, keeping with the trend of the influential sect leader being released ahead of polls in the region. He was last released on a 20-day parole three days before Haryana went to the polls in October 2024.

Rohtak divisional commissioner Anshaj Singh, who granted the parole, could not be reached for comment. Ram Rahim’s advocate Jitendra Khurana said his client was entitled to 91 days of temporary release (70 days parole and 21 days furlough) in a calendar year and that the parole should not be linked to the politics.

In August 2017, dera chief was convicted for the rape of two disciples and sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. In January 2019, he was found guilty of the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 2021, he was also convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder case of the sect’s manager Ranjit Singh. However, on May 28, 2024, the Punjab and Haryana high court acquitted him in the case. The CBI has appealed his acquittal in the Supreme Court.

Jail officials said Ram Rahim was released at 5.30am on Tuesday and headed for the Sirsa-based headquarters of his sect, which he is visiting for the first time since his conviction in 2017. He was accompanied by his aide and adopted daughter Honeypreet. During his previous paroles and furloughs, he was only allowed to visit his sect at Baghpat.

“During the first 10 days of the month-long parole, Ram Rahim will stay at his Sirsa ashram; he will spend the remaining 20 days in Baghpat,” a senior jail official said.

Earlier, he was released for 50 days in January last year and for 21 days on August 13, 2024. He got a 29-day parole in November 2023 before the Rajasthan assembly polls and was out on 30-day parole in July 2023 before the panchayat polls in Haryana.

SGPC raises objection

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has raised objections to the parole granted to Rahim Singh. In a statement, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the move reflects double standards of the government. “The government is granting parole and furlough to the dera chief repeatedly to gain political mileage. But Sikh prisoners, who are languishing in jails, are not being released despite having completed their sentences.”