Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda and a convicted rapist, returned to Rohtak’s Sunaria jail on September 2, following a 21-day furlough that began on August 13. He has frequently been accused of attempting to influence his followers, primarily based in Haryana, to vote in specific ways during elections.
Since his 20-year sentence in 2017, the Dera chief has been out of prison 10 times, either on parole or furlough, spending a total of 255 days—over eight months—outside jail. Many of these releases coincided with elections in Haryana and neighbouring states.
In April 2019, the Election Commission advised states that parole should only be granted in cases of “extreme emergency” and emphasised ensuring that the convict does not engage in election-related activities. Ram Rahim’s recent parole request was submitted to the election department ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, scheduled for October 5. The election department asked the jail authorities to clarify the “emergent and compelling” reasons for his release during the election period, PTI reported citing official sources.
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Ram Rahim’s Paroles Coincide with Past Elections
Notably, several of his previous releases have coincided with elections in Punjab, Haryana, and neighbouring states. For instance, he was granted a three-week furlough on February 7, 2022, just two weeks before the Punjab Assembly elections.
Groups such as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Shiromani Akali Dal have criticised the repeated paroles granted to the Dera chief, arguing that “justice” is not being served for ‘Bandi Singhs’ (Sikh prisoners) who remain incarcerated despite having completed their sentences.
According to Hindustan Times, a spokesperson for Dera Sacha Sauda stated that Singh is legally entitled to 91 days of temporary release per year, and his current request for a 20-day parole is in line with this provision. He has already used 50 days of parole and 21 days of furlough, leaving him with 20 days of parole remaining for the year.
The Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act allows convicted prisoners, excluding those classified as “hardcore,” to be granted regular parole for up to 10 weeks a year, in two parts. Additionally, they are entitled to 21 days of furlough, which cannot be split.
The Dera spokesperson dismissed any election-related motives behind the parole request, stating that they were uncertain when the parole would be approved. “It may even get approved after the elections,” the spokesperson noted, adding that the request for the 21-day furlough in August had been made well in advance.
According to a PTI report, Singh is currently serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his followers, a sentence handed down in 2017. In May, the high court acquitted him and four others in the 2002 murder case of the sect’s former manager, Ranjit Singh, citing “tainted and sketchy” investigations.
However, a special CBI court had earlier sentenced them to life imprisonment for their roles in the nearly two-decade-old murder case, finding Singh guilty of conspiring with his co-accused.