Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year jail term at Sunaria prison in Haryana’s Rohtak district for raping two women disciples at his ashram and a life term for murdering a journalist, was granted a 30-day parole on Thursday.
This is the second parole for the Dera chief this year. He was earlier granted parole in January for 40 days. As Ram Rahim has not been allowed by the court to visit his ashram in Sirsa.
The self-styled godman is expected to move to his Uttar Pradesh ashram in Barwana, Baghpat.
The Sirsa-Dera chief was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in August 2017 for raping two women followers. In 2019, Ram Rahim and three others were convicted for the 2002 murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. In 2022, he along with four others was convicted for hatching a conspiracy to kill the Dera’s former manager Ranjit Singh, who was shot dead, also in 2002.
The Haryana government faces flak for paroles to Ram Rahim. In January, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had accused the Haryana government of treating Dera Sacha Sauda chief as a VVIP and extending its full support to him.
The state government, however, maintains the parole has been granted in accordance with rules and Ram Rahim will have to abide by conditions during his stay outside prison. He will not be allowed to visit any place not specified in the release warrant without obtaining the prior permission of the district magistrate during the parole period..