New Delhi:

Rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been granted a 20-day parole, according to the sources. The self-styled godman was secretly taken out of the jail early morning, at 5:26 am.

It is believed that Gurmeet Ram Rahim will stay at the Dera Ashram in Sirsa, Haryana, this time.

Reportedly, this is the 12th time Ram Rahim has come out of jail since 2017.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced in 2017 in the case of raping two of his disciples. He is serving a 20-year sentence and is lodged in the Sunaria jail in Haryana’s Rohtak district.

In 2019, the Dera chief and three others were also convicted for the murder of a journalist Ram Chander Chhatarpati more than 16 years ago.

In May 2024, the high court acquitted him and four others – Avtar Singh, Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, and Sabdil Singh – in the 2002 murder of the sect’s former manager Ranjit Singh, citing “tainted and sketchy” investigations in the matter. A special CBI court had sentenced them to life imprisonment. The court also imposed fines on all five as Rs 31 lakh on Ram Rahim, Rs 1.50 lakh on Sabdil Singh, Rs 1.25 lakh each on Jasbir Singh and Krishan Lal, and Rs 75,000 on Avtar Singh.

Ranjit Singh was shot dead in the Khanpur Colony of Haryana’s Kurukshetra on July 10, 2002. Mr Singh’s murder was linked to his suspected role in the circulation of a letter exposing sexual exploitation allegations. The letter described how women followers were being abused.

Ram Rahim was last granted 20-day parole on October 2, 2024. Back then, he was barred from participating in election-related activities, making speeches and staying in the state during the period.

Chandigarh:

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, convicted in a rape case and serving a 20-year jail term, will get a 20-day parole ahead of the assembly elections in Haryana. Ram Rahim may be released from jail tomorrow morning. This would be his tenth parole in the last two years
Sources said the Haryana government had once again granted him parole after getting approval from the Election Commission.

Ram Rahim was convicted in 2017 for raping two of his women disciples at his ashram in Haryana’s Sirsa.

Earlier today, the Congress, flagging his possible release, had written to the Election Commission, contending that his release would be a violation of the Model Code of Conduct that is in place ahead of the election. Over the years, as a local religious leader, he has garnered mass following. 

There is concern that his release ahead of the election is may act as a catalyst in what the party expects to be close fight. The ruling BJP has been in power for a decade and is hoping to win its third consecutive term.