Chandigarh (National Times): The Haryana government on Tuesday approved a 40-day parole for Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the imprisoned head of Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), who is serving multiple sentences for rape and murder. The parole allows him to stay at his ashram in Sirsa until September 14, after which he will return to Rohtak’s Sunaria jail.
This marks the second such temporary release this year. Earlier, in April, the DSS chief was granted a 21-day furlough. Taken together, his parole and furlough periods add up to 91 days outside prison between January 1 and September 14.
Following his release from Sunaria jail on Tuesday, Ram Rahim immediately left for Sirsa under the supervision of officials. The detailed parole order was yet to be made public at the time of reporting.
Ram Rahim has been incarcerated since August 2017, when a special CBI court in Panchkula convicted him in two rape cases and sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment. He is also serving a sentence related to the murder of a journalist.
The 2017 verdict had led to large-scale violence in Panchkula and several other parts of Haryana and Punjab, claiming around 40 lives.
The fresh parole approval is expected to reignite public debate regarding the frequency of temporary releases granted to the controversial sect leader.
