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News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Dera Sacha Sauda chief gets parole again
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Chandigarh, Aug 5 (PTI) Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, walked out of Sunaria prison in Haryana's Rohtak on Tuesday after being granted a 40-day parole. Prior to this, Singh has come out of prison 13 times since he was convicted in 2017. This year itself, Singh was granted a 21-day furlough in April and a 30-day parole in January. He will stay at his Sirsa-headquartered Dera during his parole, said Dera spokesperson and advocate Jitender Khurana. After reaching Sirsa under tight security, Singh appealed to his followers in a video message to not turn up at the Dera and adhere to the instructions of the sect elders. Reacting to development, Haryana Minister Anil Vij told reporters here that the parole has been granted strictly in line with the laid-down rules. Vij said all actions are carried out within the legal framework. Singh, who will turn 58 on August 15, was convicted in 2017 for raping two of his disciples. The Dera chief and three others were also convicted in 2019 for the murder of a journalist more than 16 years ago. By the time Singh returns to jail at the end of his parole, he would have spent three months out of prison this year. He was granted a 21-day furlough in April and a 30-day parole in January this year ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls. He was granted a 20-day parole on October 1 last year, days before the October 5 Haryana assembly polls. In August last year, Singh was granted a 21-day furlough. He was granted a three-week furlough from February 7, 2022, barely two weeks before the Punjab assembly polls. Sikh organisations, like the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), have in the past criticised the grant of relief to Singh. On Tuesday, too, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the government was releasing the Dera chief on parole and furlough, whereas 'Bandi Singhs' (Sikh prisoners) continue to be lodged in jails. According to Sikh bodies, 'Bandi Singhs' are those Sikh prisoners who remain in jail even after the completion of their sentences. Dera spokesperson Khurana said parole or furlough has been granted to Singh within the ambit of law by the authorities concerned. 'Even the fresh parole has been granted within that ambit. In the past too, these have been granted within those parameters and no special parole has been given," Khurana said. Prior to Tuesday's parole, Singh has come out of prison 13 times since 2017. On most of these occasions, he has stayed at the Dera's ashram in Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat. In May last year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Singh and four others in the 2002 murder of the sect's former manager Ranjit Singh, citing 'tainted and sketchy" investigations into the matter. Earlier, a special CBI court sentenced them to life imprisonment in the nearly 20-year-old murder case. It held Singh guilty of hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused. The Sirsa-headquartered Dera Sacha Sauda has a number of followers in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and other states. In Haryana, the Dera has a sizable number of followers in many districts, including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Hisar. PTI SUN VSD RT RT view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim granted 40-day parole
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is convicted of rape and murder, walked out of Rohtak's Sunaria jail on Tuesday after he was granted a 40-day parole. Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is convicted of rape and murder, walked out of Rohtak's Sunaria jail on Tuesday after he was granted a 40-day parole. (HT file photo) Ram Rahim left the jail early in the morning and headed to the Sirsa headquarters of the dera in a motorcade. This is his 14th temporary release from the jail since 2020. 'The parole is as per the law and Ram Rahim Singh will stay at his Sirsa-headquartered dera during his parole,' Dera spokesperson and advocate Jitender Khurana said. The dera head, who will turn 58 on August 15, was convicted in 2017 for raping two of his disciples. He along with three others were also convicted in 2019 for the murder of a journalist more than 16 years ago. Ram Rahim's parole and furloughs have been a matter of contention and raised by the families of the victims. Following the grant of the 40-day parole, the dera head has exhausted the count of days he is allowed to stay out of the prison in a calendar year by getting temporary release mandated under the law for a convicted prisoner which is 10 weeks of parole and 21 days of furlough. He was granted a 21-day furlough in April and a 30-day parole in January, ahead of the February 5 Delhi assembly elections. By the time he returns to Sunaria jail at the end of his parole, he would have been out of prison for three months this year. In all, he has spent 326 days out of jail so far. He was granted a 20-day parole on October 1 last year, days before the October 5 Haryana assembly polls. In August last year, he was granted a 21-day furlough. He was granted a three-week furlough from February 7, 2022, barely two weeks before the Punjab assembly elections. Sikh organisations, such as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, have criticised the grant of relief to the dera head in the past. On most of the 13 occasions in the past when he was out of jail, he remained at the dera's ashram in Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat. In May last year, the Punjab and Haryana high court had acquitted him and four others in the 2002 murder of the sect's former manager Ranjit Singh, citing 'tainted and sketchy investigation'. Earlier, a special CBI court had sentenced them to life imprisonment in the nearly 20-year-old murder case. It held the dera head guilty of hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused. The Dera Sacha Sauda has a number of followers in Haryana's Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Hisar districts and adjoining areas of Punjab and Rajasthan besides western UP. (With PTI inputs)
Hans India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim granted 40-day parole
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, walked out of Sunaria prison in Haryana's Rohtak on Tuesday after being granted a 40-day parole. Singh will stay at his Sirsa-headquartered Dera during his parole, said Dera spokesperson and advocate Jitender Khurana. Singh, who will turn 58 on August 15, was convicted in 2017 for raping two of his disciples. The Dera chief and three others were also convicted in 2019 for the murder of a journalist more than 16 years ago. By the time Singh will return to jail at the end of his parole, he would have been out of prison for three months this year. He was granted a 21-day furlough in April and a 30-day parole in January, ahead of the February 5 Delhi assembly polls. He was granted a 20-day parole on October 1 last year, days before the October 5 Haryana assembly polls. In August last year, Singh was granted a 21-day furlough. He was granted a three-week furlough from February 7, 2022, barely two weeks before the Punjab assembly polls. Sikh organisations, like the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, have in the past criticised the grant of relief to Singh. On most of the 13 occasions in the past when Singh was out of jail, he remained at the Dera's ashram in Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat. In May last year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court here acquitted Singh and four others in the 2002 murder of the sect's former manager Ranjit Singh, citing "tainted and sketchy" investigations into the matter. Earlier, a special CBI court sentenced them to life imprisonment in the nearly 20-year-old murder case. It held Singh guilty of hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused. The Sirsa-headquartered Dera Sacha Sauda has a number of followers in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and other states. In Haryana, the Dera has a sizable number of followers in many districts, including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Hisar.
Mint
6 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim, rape-murder convict, walks out of Haryana jail again—this time on a 40-day parole
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, walked out of Sunaria prison in Haryana's Rohtak on Tuesday after being granted a 40-day parole. Singh will stay at his Sirsa-headquartered Dera during his parole, said Dera spokesperson and advocate Jitender Khurana. Singh, who will turn 58 on August 15, was convicted in 2017 for raping two of his disciples. The Dera chief and three others were also convicted in 2019 for the murder of a journalist more than 16 years ago. By the time Singh will return to jail at the end of his parole, he would have been out of prison for three months this year. He was granted a 21-day furlough in April and a 30-day parole in January, ahead of the February 5 Delhi assembly polls. He was granted a 20-day parole on October 1 last year, days before the October 5 Haryana assembly polls. In August last year, Singh was granted a 21-day furlough. He was granted a three-week furlough from February 7, 2022, barely two weeks before the Punjab assembly polls. Sikh organisations, like the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, have in the past criticised the grant of relief to Singh. On most of the 13 occasions in the past when Singh was out of jail, he remained at the Dera's ashram in Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat. In May last year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court here acquitted Singh and four others in the 2002 murder of the sect's former manager Ranjit Singh, citing "tainted and sketchy" investigations into the matter. Earlier, a special CBI court sentenced them to life imprisonment in the nearly 20-year-old murder case. It held Singh guilty of hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused. The Sirsa-headquartered Dera Sacha Sauda has a number of followers in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and other states. In Haryana, the Dera has a sizable number of followers in many districts, including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Hisar.
India Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Rape convict Ram Rahim gets another parole, 14th such relief in 8 years
Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his disciples, has been granted a 40-day parole, sources said on Tuesday. This is the 14th such parole granted to the self-proclaimed godman in the past eight securing fresh parole just three months after his previous release, Ram Rahim walked out of Rohtak's Sunaria jail early Tuesday morning. The 57-year-old will be staying at his Sirsa-headquartered Dera until his expected return to the jail on September releases of Singh, who was convicted in 2017 for raping two of his disciples and in 2019 for the murder of a journalist, have consistently drawn criticism from various quarters. He was last granted a 21-day furlough on April 9, and prior to that, received a 30-day parole in January this year, just ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls. Earlier, on October 1 last year, he was also granted a 20-day parole before the October 5 Haryana Assembly Sacha Sauda, led by Singh, commands a large following across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and several other states. In Haryana, the sect has a particularly strong presence in districts such as Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, and Rahim is currently serving a 20-year sentence for the rape of two female disciples, a conviction handed down by a special CBI court in August 2017. In January 2019, he was also convicted, along with three others, of the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, and sentenced to life he was acquitted in May 2024 by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the 2002 murder of the sect's former manager Ranjit Singh, Singh's convictions in the rape and journalist murder cases remain.- EndsMust Watch
