Dera Sacha Sauda chief and convicted rapist Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been granted a 21-day furlough yet again. On Tuesday morning around 6:30 AM, Gurmeet was released from Sunaria Jail in Haryana under police protection. He directly headed to the Barnawa Ashram in Bagpat district of Uttar Pradesh, where he will spend his furlough. Since 2020, Gurmeet has been granted parole or furlough 10 times. His latest release before the Haryana elections has sparked political discussions.
Actually, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court opposing the continuous parole or furlough granted to Gurmeet Ram Rahim. SGPC cited potential public harm. The HC had reserved its order on SGPC's petition. Now, the court has dismissed the petition and permitted the temporary release of the Sirsa Dera sect leader, Gurmeet.
Court States- It's a Matter for the State Government
The bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Anil Kheterpal of the HC stated this is a matter for the state government and that the competent authority can decide on parole. The court noted that during his temporary release period, Gurmeet would stay at the Dera Ashram in Barnawa, Uttar Pradesh. Previously, in June, Gurmeet had approached the High Court seeking a 21-day furlough. On February 29, the High Court had directed the Haryana government not to grant any more parole to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief without its permission. Gurmeet was given a 50-day parole on January 19 this year.
Whenever Gurmeet Ram Rahim is granted parole or furlough, questions arise about the prison administration and government.
Record of Parole or Furlough for Gurmeet
Why is it Being Linked to Elections?
Recently, the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda, led by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, had announced its support for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Additionally, Dera Sacha Sauda appointed a 15-member committee for election duty. Dera’s influence spans districts bordering Punjab-Haryana, such as Sirsa, Kurukshetra, and Kaithal. Numerous Deras in Punjab and Haryana are considered significant vote banks.
India's First and Only Case
Since going to prison, Ram Rahim has been granted over 254 days of parole and furlough in the last four years. This permits Gurmeet to spend more than eight months outside the prison. This count includes the recent 21-day furlough. Such frequent and considerable parole or furlough is likely the first and only case in the country.
Why is Gurmeet Serving a Sentence?
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his disciples and is incarcerated in Sunaria Jail in Rohtak district, Haryana. He was sentenced in 2017. Additionally, Dera chief Gurmeet and three others were convicted in 2019 in the 16-year-old journalist murder case.
Earlier in May, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Gurmeet Ram Rahim and four others in the 22-year-old (year 2002) Ranjit Singh murder case. All of them had been convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in 2021. Gurmeet was found guilty of criminal conspiracy.
