Dera chief Ram Rahim gets parole again, leaves from Rohtak jail

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government on Tuesday released the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) chief and a convict in rape cases, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on 30 days parole. He will be returning back to jail barracks on June 24.

It is for the second time that the controversial preacher has been released by the state government on parole this year. Earlier in January this year, he was granted 40-days parole by the state government. With the release of 30-day parole on Tuesday, the Dera chief would consume all his parole period, and he is now left with only 21 days furlough.

As per the jail manual, a convict is entitled to 70 days parole and 21 days furlough in a calendar year. Such privileges depend on the discretion of the state government on verifying several factors.

However, Jitender Khurana, counsel and spokesperson of DSS told TOI that the dera chief has been released on bail as per his legal entitlements.

He was released from the Sunaria jail in Rohtak on Tuesday morning and immediately left for his Dera in Sirsa. Sources added that the permission for him to stay in Sirsa was granted after getting clearance from the district magistrate of Sirsa.

The Dera chief is currently serving a sentence in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail since August 2017. On August 25, 2017, a special CBI court in Panchkula convicted him for the rape of Sadhvis (female disciples) and sentenced him to two terms of 20 years imprisonment. He is currently serving a sentence for rape case.

Around 40 persons lost their lives in August 2017 after violence took place in Panchkula and other parts of Haryana and Punjab after he was convicted for rape cases. He was also convicted for the murders of former dera manager Ranjit Singh and journalist Ram Chander Chhatarpati but in both the cases, he was acquitted by the Punjab and Haryana high court.