Haryana government gives Dera boss 50-day parole, marking his second release in two months

CHANDIGARH: Ahead of the legislative elections, the BJP-led government in Haryana has granted Dera Sacha Sauda president Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh another reprieve by granting him a 50-day parole. This is the sixth release in the last two years and the second in less than two months. This would have allowed the contentious preacher to avoid prison time for 232 days over the previous two years.

DERA
Ram Rahim requested to remain on parole at Dera’s ashram in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, under the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022, and the Rohtak divisional commissioner granted the release.
Ram Rahim has been incarcerated in Rohtak since August 2017, and the Dera maintains its headquarters in Sirsa, Haryana. This time, in order to guarantee that the other parole requirements are met, he has been instructed to provide a bail of Rs 3 lakh.
The Dera leader had previously been freed on a 21-day parole on November 21, 2023. March is anticipated to see the implementation of the model code for the summer general elections, which has led to conjecture that the most recent parole could have been given prior to the limits going into effect.
In a number of states, including MP, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, Ram Rahim has considerable influence. When Ram Rahim was on his previous parole or furloughs, a number of politicians would go to his ashrams for satsangs.
Ram Rahim’s most recent release, according to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), was politically driven. The SGPC further noted that Sikh feeling had been harmed by these frequent releases since the “Bandi Singhs” had been detained for decades without being allowed to go free. Long-term Sikh inmates are referred to as “Bandi Singhs.”
On August 25, 2017, a special CBI court in Panchkula found Ram Rahim guilty of raping a few female devotees and sentenced him to two sentences of ten years each. He was given a life sentence on January 17, 2019, for the murder of Sirsa journalist Ram Chander Chhatarpati in 2002. He was given a second life sentence in October 2021 by the court for the murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh.
Following Ram Rahim’s rape convictions, unrest in Panchkula and other areas of Haryana and Punjab claimed the lives of over forty persons in August 2017.
First respite came for the Dera president on October 24, 2020, when he was allowed to spend the whole day visiting his sick mother at a Gurgaon hospital, just before the important Baroda assembly bypoll in Haryana. On May 21, 2021, he was once again freed in a similar fashion to see his mother in the hospital.
These two releases occurred under extraordinary circumstances and were made under police protection.
After serving five years in jail, he was eligible for temporary release under the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022.
Procedures for parole
A convicted felon is entitled to 10 weeks of parole every year, under the prison handbook. The sentence now includes this period.
Likewise, a prisoner serving a term longer than ten years has the right to four weeks of furloughs annually. This time is counted toward the overall sentence and is regarded as served. A prisoner may do this for a maximum of 98 days per year.
All prison detainees do not, however, automatically get this freedom; it is contingent upon a number of criteria, including the authorities’ judgment and clearance.