Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been granted furlough and released for 21 days, news agency ANI reported. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is a convict in a rape case and had previously returned to Rohtak's Sunaria jail in August after his month-long parole concluded. The convicted leader, based in Haryana's Sirsa, was previously granted parole in July, during which he visited the Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district.
Gurmeet Singh, who turned 56 on August 15, had walked out of the Sunaria jail after being granted parole for the second time this year. He is currently serving a 20-year jail term for the rape of two of his disciples.
Previously, he was out on a 40-day parole in January, and in October of the previous year, he was granted a similar period of parole. The Dera chief had also received a month-long parole in June 2022. Last year, he was granted three weeks' furlough starting from February 7.
The frequency of paroles granted to the rape convict has raised questions about the Haryana Government's stance. In response to queries about this in July, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala told PTI, "It (parole) is allowed to a person as per the jail manual. This is a constitutional right. The government will definitely look into the issue if there's anything done against the law."
In 2021, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, along with three others, was convicted for conspiring to kill Ranjit Singh, a Dera manager. Additionally, in 2019, he and three others were convicted for the murder of a journalist that occurred over 16 years ago.