Dera Sacha Sauda chief and convicted rapist Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was released from Sunaria Jail in Haryana’s Rohtak district on Tuesday after being granted a 21-day parole. Ram Rahim, who is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his disciples, was reportedly released early in the morning at 6:30 am and two vehicles from the ashram came to pick him up. He is expected to stay at Dera’s Baghpat ashram during this period.
This parole comes shortly after the Punjab and Haryana High Court, on August 9, dismissed a petition filed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) challenging the temporary release of Ram Rahim. The court ruled that the competent authority should consider any plea for temporary release without ‘arbitrariness or favouritism.’
The SGPC, the apex gurdwara body, had argued that releasing Ram Rahim, who is serving multiple sentences for serious offenses like rape and murder, would threaten the sovereignty and integrity of India and disrupt public order.
Ram Rahim Had Sought 21-Day Furlough Earlier
Earlier, in June, Ram Rahim had sought a 21-day furlough from the high court. The court had previously directed the Haryana government not to grant further parole to him without its permission, given the gravity of his offenses. Despite this, he had already been granted a 50-day parole on January 19, raising concerns among various groups, including the SGPC.
In its recent ruling, the high court rejected the SGPC’s argument that the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 1988, should have been applied instead of the 2022 Act when considering Ram Rahim’s parole. The court clarified that the 2022 Act governs the process of conditional temporary release for prisoners demonstrating good conduct.
Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Moves HC Seeking Directions For 21- Day Furlough
The divisional commissioner of police was identified as the competent authority to grant such parole. The court emphasized that any future applications for temporary release by Ram Rahim must be strictly evaluated under the provisions of the 2022 Act, ensuring no arbitrariness or favoritism in the decision-making process.
In a related legal development, the high court in May acquitted Ram Rahim and four others in the 2002 murder of Ranjit Singh, the sect’s former manager, citing ‘tainted and sketchy’ investigations. Although a special CBI court had earlier sentenced the five to life imprisonment for the nearly 20-year-old murder case, the high court found the evidence insufficient to uphold the convictions.
