Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh awarded 40-day parole from Sunaria Jail, Rohtak — his 15th temporary release since 2017 rape conviction.
Follows August 2025 (40 days), April 2025 (21-day furlough), January 2025 (30 days ahead of Delhi polls), and multiple others often linked to events or elections.
Sikh bodies and opposition slam repeated paroles as "preferential" and politically motivated, questioning fairness in Haryana's prison system.
Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has once again been granted a 40-day parole from Sunaria Jail in Rohtak, Haryana, marking his 15th temporary release since his 2017 conviction in the rape of two disciples.
Sources confirmed on Sunday that the Rohtak Divisional Commissioner approved the parole, allowing the self-styled godman — serving a 20-year sentence for rape and life imprisonment for the 2002 murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati — to step out of prison. He is expected to spend the period at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa or the ashram in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district.
This latest parole follows a similar 40-day release in August 2025 (to celebrate his birthday), a 21-day furlough in April 2025, and a 30-day parole in January 2025 ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections. The pattern of frequent releases has drawn sharp criticism from Sikh organisations like the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), opposition parties, and activists who accuse the Haryana government of granting "preferential treatment" and using parole for political leverage in states like Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi, where the Dera commands significant followers.
The Dera Sacha Sauda, headquartered in Sirsa, has a large base across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and other states, particularly in rural areas. Ram Rahim's repeated exits from jail — often timed near festivals, anniversaries, or elections — have sparked debates on parole norms under the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022, which permits releases for good conduct.
