Rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim gets 40-day parole, 14th temporary release since 2017

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, convicted in rape and murder cases, was released on a 40-day parole from Rohtak’s Sunaria jail on Tuesday morning. Officials confirmed that he left for the Dera’s headquarters in Sirsa, Haryana, where he will stay during the parole period. This is his 14th temporary release from jail since 2017 and his second this year.

Ram Rahim is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for raping two of his female disciples. He was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in August 2017 and was also ordered to pay ₹15 lakh to each victim. In 2019, he was further convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.

He was also sentenced in the 2002 murder of his manager, Ranjit Singh, but was acquitted in May 2024 along with four others after the court found the investigation "tainted and sketchy." His temporary releases include multiple paroles and furloughs. In April 2024, he was granted a 21-day furlough. Earlier, in January 2024, he was granted a 30-day parole a week before the Delhi Assembly elections.

Since 2020, Ram Rahim has reportedly spent a total of 326 days outside prison on temporary release. Several of his paroles and furloughs have coincided with elections in states like Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, and Rajasthan. In 2022, he was released three times — in February during the Punjab Assembly polls, in June during Haryana civic polls, and in October during Haryana by-elections.

However, in such instances, he was legally barred from participating in any election-related activities, making speeches, or staying in poll-bound states during the election period. Previously, Ram Rahim had also stayed at the Dera’s Baghpat ashram in Uttar Pradesh during some of his releases. His movement and activities during parole and furlough have remained under close observation.