Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh gets parole again

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year jail term, was on Thursday granted a 50-day parole, The Times of India reported.

The order signed by the divisional commissioner of Rohtak district in Haryana said that the convict will stay at the Barnava ashram in Uttar Pradesh.

Singh was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment in 2017 for raping two of his women disciples at the Dera headquarters in the Sirsa district. In 2021, he and four others were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder case of Ranjit Singh, a former manager of his sect.

A prisoner is granted parole based on an urgent demand or need. A furlough can be given without any reason after serving a stipulated amount of time in prison.

This is the seventh parole in the last 24 months and ninth in the last four years granted to Ram Rahim Singh, who is lodged in the Sunaria jail in the Rohtak district, according to NDTV.

Last year alone, Singh was released three times on parole, including for 40 days in January to attend the birthday anniversary of Dera chief Shah Satnam. He was seen in pictures cutting the cake with a sword.

In March, the Punjab government had told the High Court that granting frequent parole...

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