Gurugram: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year sentence in Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail for rape and murder, is again out on 21-day furls.
His release – The 13th example of the Dera chief was given parole or furls since his first sentence in 2017 – ahead of the 77th Foundation Day celebrations of the sect at its huge headquarters in Sirsa.
Ram Rahim left Sunaria Jail around 6:30 am on Wednesday and moved directly towards Sirsa Dera, where he is expected to spend 21 days.
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Two months ago, on 28 January, he came out A 30-day paroleSirsa Dera at the Barnava Ashram of the sect in Uttar Pradesh spends 10 days in the remaining 20. The release had strongly criticized political analysts and families of the victims who questioned the objectives of Haryana.
Political parties in the spectrum typically avoid commenting on their release, which is unstable for the fear of losing the votes of the dera followers. The Dera chief has followed a large scale in Haryana and Punjab.
Most of his temporary release matches elections, whether it is a panchayat, state or national election. In fact, the Dera headquarters gave a call to its followers in October last year to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Haryana elections.
A pattern in release
Ram Rahim’s visit In jail and out Since 2017 punishment depicts a striking picture. His first taste of temporary freedom came with a day parole on 24 October, 2020, in which her ailing mother was visited in a hospital.
This was followed by a 12-hour parole on May 21, 2021, to meet his mother again.
In 2022, the BJP government led by Manohar Lal Khattar brought an amendment to the earlier laws, which were relaxed in certain conditions, especially prisoners, removing the need to specify the causes of furls-a change that critics have argued that Ram Rahim has a frequent release facility.
The frequency was raised in 2022, 30-day parole in June to meet the family, with 21-day furls to meet the family, which saw him staying at the Baghpat Ashram, and he released music videos from Baghpat during the 40-day parole in October.
In 2023, he acquired a 40-day parole on 21 January, with 30-day parole on July 20, the birth anniversary of Shah Satnam Singh, and 21-day furls on 21 November to retreat from Baghpat.
The year 2024 saw him on the 50-day parole starting on January 19, 21-day furls from Baghpat on August 13, and a 20-day parole from Hariyanapol on 2 October, during which he lived in Barnawa.
The Dera Sacha Sauda chief stayed out of jail for more than 300 days, with its parole in January and the latest furls in April this year.
Opposing the frequent release of Ram Rahim, the Budbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Shiromani Gurdwara repeatedly challenged the decisions of the Haryana government in the court, only to face failures. In January 2023, SGPC first contacted the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the Dera chief against repeated parols and furls of the Haryana government.
When the High Court dismissed its petition in August 2024, the SGPC took the matter to the Supreme Court. However, on 25 February this year, the apex court refused to intervene in the case.
Haryana law on parole and furls
A senior official of the Haryana Jail Department informed the print that under the legal structure of Haryana, Haryana Good Conduct prisoners (temporary releases) act, 2022, governed by parole and furls, serve different objectives.
Parole is a conditional release, usually given for specific causes such as a family emergency – mram, disease, or marriage – and the prisoner is not the right. A prisoner has to report to the authorities with a period of the period (up to 70 days) that does not count towards the punishment.
On the other hand, the furls are a legal eligibility, designed as a break from the monotony of gel life to aid in rehabilitation. This does not require a specific reason and is overshadowed in Haryana at 21 days per year, the time to be served outside the prison count as part of the sentence.
Approval for parole comes from the Divisional Commissioner, while the furls are approved by the jail department.
While in August 2017, the CBI court sentenced him to 20 years in jail for raping two female disciples at his Sirsa Ashram, he was sentenced to life in January 2019 for the murder of journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati.
Ram Rahim was served another life period in October 2021 for the murder of Dera manager Ranjit Singh. In May 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted him in the Ranjit Singh murder case, which is now a decision under the appeal in the Supreme Court.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also read: How to convict Ram Rahim for rape and murder before Haryana elections