Haryana Government Grants Dera Chief 50-Day Parole in Second Release Within Two Months

CHANDIGARH: Haryana’s BJP government has released Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on a 50-day parole in yet another respite for the rape-and-murder convict ahead of the parliamentary elections. This release is the second in less than two months and seventh in the past two years.

Dera chief gets out of jail for the seventh time in two years, spending a total of 232 days outside prison. This latest release is the second in less than two months

The Rohtak official said it’s okay for Ram Rahim to leave prison because he asked nicely under the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners law. He can stay at the Dera’s place in Baghpat, UP, for a while

Dera’s main office is in Sirsa, Haryana. Ram Rahim has been in Rohtak jail since August 2017.

This time, he needs to pay Rs 3 lakh as a promise to follow the rules of the parole. Before this, he got out on parole for 21 days on Nov 21, 2023. People think they let him out now before the election rules start in March. Ram Rahim is powerful in many states like Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, MP, and Chhattisgarh.

“Many politicians visited Ram Rahim’s ashrams for talks when he was out before. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) says this time it’s about politics and it upsets Sikhs because long-term Sikh prisoners (‘Bandi Singhs’) have been held for decades without getting parole.”

In 2017, a court said Ram Rahim hurt some women and gave him two 10-year sentences. In 2019, he got life for a journalist’s murder. In 2021, he got another life term for a former Dera manager’s murder. Around 40 people died in violence after his rape convictions in 2017

In simple terms, when someone is in jail, they might be allowed some time outside as a break. According to the rules, a person in jail can get a break called “parole” for 10 weeks each year. This extra time is added to the total time they have to spend in jail.

If a person is in jail for more than 10 years, they can also get short breaks known as “furloughs” for four weeks each year. These breaks are included in their overall jail time, meaning those days count as if they’ve already served them. So, a person could spend up to 98 days outside of jail in a year.

But not everyone in jail gets these breaks easily. The decision depends on different factors, including what the authorities think and their approval.