CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 : Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving life sentences in cases related to the sexual assault of sadhvis and the murder of a journalist, was released from Rohtak’s Sunaria jail on a 40-day parole on Monday. He later reached the Dera headquarters in Sirsa amid tight security arrangements.
A convoy of luxury vehicles, including two bulletproof Land Cruisers, two Fortuners, and other escort cars, arrived at the jail to take him to Sirsa. Ram Rahim left the Sunaria jail around 11.30 am and reached Sirsa at about 2.45 pm, officials said.
This marks the 15th occasion on which the Dera chief has stepped out of jail on parole or furlough since his conviction. He had earlier been granted parole in August last year to mark his birthday and on several other occasions for varying durations.
Reacting to questions over the parole, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said the matter fell within the legal domain and was decided by the courts and competent authorities, declining further comment.
Dera Sacha Sauda spokesperson Jitendra Khurana defended the parole, stating that provisions for parole and furlough apply uniformly to prisoners under the law. He said a convict is entitled to parole and furlough within prescribed limits each year and that Ram Rahim’s release was strictly within the legal framework.
According to the spokesperson, the Dera chief will stay at the Sirsa headquarters during the parole period.
Ram Rahim was sentenced in August 2017 to 20 years’ imprisonment in two cases related to the sexual assault of sadhvis. In January 2019, he was awarded life imprisonment in the murder case of journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati. He was also convicted in the murder case of Dera manager Ranjit Singh, though the Punjab and Haryana High Court later acquitted him in that case.
Earlier this year, Ram Rahim was released on parole for 21 days in April and for 30 days in January, shortly before the Delhi Assembly elections. During previous paroles, he stayed either at the Sirsa Dera or at the sect’s ashram in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat.
While he is not permitted to hold physical gatherings, Ram Rahim has in the past communicated with followers through video messages, urging them to adhere to instructions issued by Dera authorities.
(UNI)
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