Ahead of Haryana polls, controversial godman Ram Rahim gets parole, third this year

Chandigarh: Ahead of the Assembly polls in Haryana, controversial Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who’s serving a 20-year jail sentence for raping two of his disciples, on Tuesday got 20-day parole, the third time this year.

However, he has been barred from staying in the state.

This will be Ram Rahim Singh’s 11th parole or furlough in the last four years.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini cleared his parole application and forwarded to the Prisons Department, which forwarded it to the Divisional Commissioner of Rohtak.

He will be released soon after getting the mandatory clearance from the local administration in Uttar Pradesh’s Bagpath, where he will stay during the parole.

Ram Rahim was patronised by political leaders and parties in Punjab and Haryana for nearly two decades due to his ability to influence the votes of his followers.

He had sought parole, citing the death anniversary of his father Maghar Singh on October 5, which is observed as Parmarthi Diwas, as the reason for the grant of parole.

It is learnt that the Election Commission on Monday approved the parole petition with three conditions: He is prohibited from entering Haryana during this period, he cannot engage in any political activity, and he must refrain from participating in election-related activities even through social media.

After the Election Commission permitted the state government to “consider” Ram Rahim’s plea, the state Home Department forwarded the permission to caretaker Chief Minister Saini for approval.

Objecting to the grant of parole, Anshul Chhatrapati, son of slain journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, for whose murder Ram Rahim is serving a life sentence, in a communication to the Election Commission, had said on six occasions, out of 10 paroles and furloughs, Ram Rahim was released just before an election.

“For the first time, he got 21 days of furlough in February 2022 before the Punjab Assembly elections. Then he got 30 days of parole in June 2022 before the Haryana municipal corporation elections. After that, in October 2022, he again got 40 days of parole before the Adampur Assembly by-election in Haryana. He got 30 days of parole in July 2023 before the Haryana panchayat elections. Then he got 29 days of parole in November 2023 before the Rajasthan Assembly elections,” Anshul had said.

Interestingly, the Dera head returned to the prison on September 2 after a 21-day furlough granted on August 13.

Ram Rahim is currently lodged at the high-security Sunaria jail in Rohtak, 250 km from the state capital Chandigarh.

Earlier, the high court had rejected Ram Rahim’s parole plea for attending the wedding ceremony of his foster daughters.

The self-styled godman was sentenced to 20 years in jail in August 2017 for raping two women.

A special CBI court in Panchkula in 2019 also sentenced him and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago.

His conviction on August 25, 2017, led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving 41 people dead and over 260 injured.

IANS