Dera Chief Ram Rahim Gets Parole Again, 16th Since 2017 Rape Conviction

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh walked out of Sunaria Jail in Rohtak on Tuesday after being granted a 30-day parole, marking the 16th time he has secured temporary release since his 2017 conviction in a rape case.

Ram Rahim, who is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two women disciples, will stay at the Sirsa headquarters of the Dera during the parole period.

"He has got the parole today. It has been given by the competent authority of the state. He has been granted parole for 30 days," Ram Him's lawyer Jitendra Khurana confirmed the development.

Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Ajay Singhal said the matter falls under the jurisdiction of jail authorities and prison administration.

His latest release comes months after he was granted a similar parole in January. Before that, he was out on a 40-day parole in August 2025, a 21-day furlough in April 2025 and a 30-day parole in January 2025 ahead of the February 5 Delhi assembly polls.

He was also granted a 20-day parole on October 1, 2024, days before the October 5 Haryana assembly polls. A 21-day furlough in August 2024, and a three-week furlough in February 2022, barely two weeks before the Punjab assembly polls.

The Sirsa-headquartered Dera Sacha Sauda has a number of followers in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and other states. In Haryana, the Dera has a sizeable number of followers in many districts, including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Hisar.

The latest parole has triggered sharp political reactions in Punjab, with leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee accusing the government of applying "double standards" in the justice system.

Former Punjab Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia strongly criticised the repeated paroles granted to Ram Rahim, alleging that influential people are treated differently from ordinary citizens.

He questioned why strict action has not been taken in the Punjab cases linked to the Dera chief and demanded a response from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Majithia further accused the Haryana government, the BJP-led Centre, and the Punjab government of extending special privileges to the jailed Dera chief for political reasons.

According to him, repeated paroles granted to Ram Rahim weaken public trust in the legal system and expose political collusion between ruling parties.

Reacting strongly to the parole decision, SGPC member Advocate Bhagwant Singh Sialka termed the move "deeply hurtful" to Sikh sentiments, particularly in view of sacrilege allegations linked to Ram Rahim and his followers.

Sialka alleged that convicted individuals in serious criminal cases continue to receive relief, while Sikh prisoners and Bandi Singhs remain behind bars despite repeated appeals for their release.