Dera chief jailed for rape & murder gets 40-day parole
Dera Sacha Sauda
chief
Gurmeet Ram Rahim
— who is serving prison terms in Rohtak's Sunaria jail for the rape of two sadhvis and murder of a journalist — was yet again released on parole on Tuesday morning, his 14th since Oct 2020.
This time it's for 40 days, during which he will celebrate his 58th birthday.
He will be returning to the jail on Sept 14. By then, he'd have spent 91 of 216 days out of prison in 2025 — that's an average of nearly three days a week — making him one of the most oft-released prisoners in the country.
He has managed to get paroles / furloughs for over a year — 366 days in less than five years. His longest parole was for 50 days, starting Jan 20, 2024, and he has had three tranches of 40 days each.
The BJP-led Haryana govt had given him two furloughs earlier this year — 30 days in Jan, and 21 days on April 9. Barely three months later, he has been given another.
Dera spokesperson Jitendra Khurana said the state authority had granted parole "within the law," and that he would remain inside the Sirsa Dera. Gurmeet left Sunaria jail around 6:30am under heavy security in a convoy that included two bulletproof vehicles.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Sources said the Dera chief sought parole to celebrate his birthday on Aug 15. While no public gathering has been permitted at the Dera, he may address followers virtually.
Soon after arriving in Sirsa, he released a video message to his followers, urging them to stay where they are, follow guidance and continue "seva." Sources said that permission for him to stay in Sirsa was granted after clearance from the district magistrate.
Gurmeet is serving 20 years for the rape of two sadhvis (convicted on Aug 25, 2017) and life imprisonment for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati (convicted Jan 17 2019). In Oct 2021, a CBI court also awarded him a life term in the Dera manager Ranjit Singh murder case. Around 40 people lost their lives when violence broke out in Aug 2017 in Panchkula and other parts of Haryana and Punjab following his conviction in the rape cases.
What Jail Manual Says On Parole & Furlough
As per the jail manual, a convict is entitled to 10 weeks of parole in a year. The period for which the convict stays out of jail is added to the sentence. One who is sentenced to more than 10 years in jail is entitled to furlough for four weeks a year, which is included in the jail term. With this, a convict can remain out of jail for a maximum of 98 days in a year. However, such freedom is not easily granted to all the jail inmates and depends on several factors, including the discretion of the authorities and clearance from the administration.
With Tuesday's parole, the Dera Sacha Sauda chief would consume 91 of the 98 days he is entitled to.
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