Dera Chief Ram Rahim Out on Parole for 16th Time; Total Days Out Crosses 400
Dera chief’s repeated paroles have kept him outside jail for 406 days.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda who is serving a 20-year prison sentence in the Sadhvi sexual assault case, was released from Sunaria Jail in Haryana’s Rohtak on Tuesday after being granted a 30-day parole by state authorities. This marks the 16th temporary release granted to the self-styled godman since his conviction in August 2017.
Ram Rahim walked out of the prison at around 6:34 am with minimal visible security deployment during his exit. Confirming the development, his advocate Jitendra Khurana said the parole had been approved by the competent authority of the Haryana government. He added that the Dera chief would stay at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa during the parole period.
The latest parole has once again drawn attention to the frequency of temporary releases granted to the controversial religious leader over the past several years. According to available records, Ram Rahim has now spent approximately 436 days outside prison since his conviction, including 406 days before the current parole period. Earlier this year, he was granted a 40-day parole in January before returning to jail on February 15.
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The repeated paroles and furloughs are permitted under the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022. The law allows eligible convicts to seek up to 70 days of parole and 21 days of furlough in a calendar year. Reports have stated that the Haryana government classified Ram Rahim’s convictions as conspiracy-related offences rather than serial killings, allowing him to remain eligible for temporary release benefits under prison rules.
Ram Rahim was convicted in 2017 in connection with the rape of two women disciples and has been lodged in Sunaria Jail since then. His paroles in the past have often triggered political criticism and concerns from opposition parties, especially during election periods, with critics questioning the timing and frequency of his releases.
Earlier this year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Ram Rahim in the murder case of journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati. He had been accused of orchestrating Chhatrapati’s killing after the journalist published reports critical of the Dera chief in his newspaper. The acquittal added another major development to the series of legal cases linked to the Dera Sacha Sauda leader.
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