Rape convict Ram Rahim seeks 20-day parole, poll body asks for compelling reasons

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his disciples at his ashram in Sirsa, has requested a temporary 20-day parole just ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections on October 5.
According to the sources, the Haryana government has forwarded his parole request to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer for consideration.
The officer, however, has asked for urgent and compelling reasons for the release.
The 56-year-old self-proclaimed godman returned to Rohtak’s Sunaria jail on September 2 after being released on a 21-day furlough on August 13.
Ram Rahim, who has a significant following in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, was granted furlough on eight occasions for various reasons, including visits to his ailing mother.
As per the state rules, furlough is the short release of a prisoner after completing a stipulated part of the sentence.
Recently, the issue of repeated paroles and furloughs granted to the Dera chief was challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The court, while rejecting the plea filed by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), observed that it should be considered by the competent authority without any “arbitrariness or favouritism”.
Rahim was sentenced in 2017 for raping two of his disciples and is currently incarcerated in Sunaria Jail in Haryana’s Rohtak district.
Haryana is set to go to the polls on October 5, with the results for both Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir to be announced on October 8.