Ahead of Haryana polls, controversial Dera Sacha Sauda chief out on 20-day parole

Just three days ahead of the Haryana Assembly polls, the state government on Wednesday released controversial Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on parole for 20 days, the 11th time since his conviction in August 2017 for raping two of his disciples.

He was released from the high-security Sunaria jail in Rohtak, 250 km from state capital Chandigarh, and straightway headed to his ashram in Uttar Pradesh’s Bagpath.

During the parole, he will not be allowed to enter Haryana or take part in any election campaign activities.

While the BJP government in the state had already cleared the file to grant parole, the main Opposition Congress on Tuesday shot off a complaint to the Election Commission of India and state Chief Electoral Officer, questioning the timing of the parole, saying his release could influence voters.

Ram Rahim had returned to the Sunaria jail on September 2 after a 21-day furlough granted on August 13. His January 19 parole was in the run-up to the parliamentary polls.,

Caretaker Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini cleared his parole application and forwarded it to the Prisons Department, which forwarded it to the Divisional Commissioner of Rohtak.

Ram Rahim was patronised by political leaders and parties in Punjab and Haryana for nearly two decades due to his ability to influence the votes of his followers.

He had sought parole, citing the death anniversary of his father Maghar Singh on October 5, which is observed as Parmarthi Diwas, as the reason for the grant of parole.

The Election Commission on Monday approved the parole petition with three conditions: He is prohibited from entering Haryana during this period, he cannot engage in any political activity, and he must refrain from participating in election-related activities even through social media.

After the Election Commission permitted the state government to “consider” Ram Rahim’s plea, the state Home Department forwarded the permission to caretaker Chief Minister Saini for approval.

Objecting to the grant of parole, Anshul Chhatrapati, son of slain journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, for whose murder Ram Rahim is serving a life sentence, in a communication to the Election Commission, had said on six occasions, out of 10 paroles and furloughs, Ram Rahim was released just before an election.

“For the first time, he got 21 days of furlough in February 2022 before the Punjab Assembly elections. Then he got 30 days of parole in June 2022 before the Haryana municipal corporation elections. After that, in October 2022, he again got 40 days of parole before the Adampur Assembly by-election in Haryana. He got 30 days of parole in July 2023 before the Haryana panchayat elections. Then he got 29 days of parole in November 2023 before the Rajasthan Assembly elections,” Anshul had said.

Earlier, the high court had rejected Ram Rahim's parole plea for attending the wedding ceremony of his foster daughters.

The self-styled godman was sentenced to 20 years in jail in August 2017 for raping two women.

A special CBI court in Panchkula in 2019 also sentenced him and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago.

His conviction on August 25, 2017, led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving 41 people dead and over 260 injured.