How dera chief gets furlough so often and why he has started coming to Sirsa
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has once again been granted a temporary release from jail, this time a furlough of 21 days. Serving prison sentences for rape and murder in two different cases, he was released from Sunaria jail in Rohtak on Wednesday.
He will stay at Sirsa, which is the headquarters of Dera Sacha Sauda. Earlier, he used to stay at his ashram at Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh and used to address followers online.
The Haryana Government has always been accused of granting furlough or parole to Ram Rahim near elections. But this time, the temporary release has been granted as the foundation day of dera falls on April 29. The dera has completed 77 years.
On the other hand, investigating agencies say his temporary release and stay at Sirsa could influence witnesses as he is facing a trial related to the castration of his followers.
Under what law has Ram Rahim been granted parole?
Since the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022, came into force on April 11, 2022, the dera head has been getting temporary releases under the Act.
The Supreme Court had, on February 28, dismissed SGPC’s petition alleging that the Haryana Government was misusing its powers under the Act, while granting parole/furlough to the dera chief. Before that, while justifying the Act, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had, on August 9, 2024, said in case any application is filed by Ram Rahim for temporary release, the same shall be considered strictly following the provisions of the Act of 2022 without indulging in “arbitrariness or favouritism or discrimination”.
What are the cases against the dera chief?
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been incarcerated in Sunaria Jail in Rohtak since his conviction on August 25, 2017, for raping two female followers, leading to a 20-year rigorous imprisonment sentence on August 28, 2017.
He was convicted in journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati’s murder case on January 11, 2019, and sentenced to life imprisonment on January 17, 2019. He was also convicted in the Ranjit Singh murder case in 2021, but the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted him on May 28, 2024, in the case. He is also facing a trial in a case related to the castration of followers in Panchkula.
What is the difference between furlough and parole?
Furlough means temporary release from custody of a convicted prisoner as an incentive on account of his good behaviour and conduct over a period of time. The period of furlough may count towards the awarded sentence subject to the conditions. The release period shall be three weeks, and this period shall not be availed in parts, the Act states.
Parole also means the temporary release of a convicted prisoner from custody. Section 3 of the Act says that the period of release shall not count towards the actual sentence of a prisoner. The period for parole shall be 10 weeks in a calendar year cumulatively, and the convicted prisoner may avail it in two parts. In total, a convicted person can avail furlough and parole of 13 weeks in a year.
To calculate the period of temporary release of a prisoner, the dates of departure from and arrival at the jail shall be excluded, the Act states.
Has Ram Rahim been granted parole/furlough near polls before?
Last time, he was granted a 30-day parole on January 28, when Delhi elections and civic elections in Haryana were around the corner. In 2024, he was granted parole on October 1, near the Haryana Assembly elections, which were to be held on October 5. Before that, he was granted furlough for 21 days on August 13, 2024. From January to March, he was out on parole near the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
He has been getting temporary releases near the Assembly polls in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan in the past. In return, he had allegedly helped the BJP.
Haryana Tribune