The Manohar Khattar-led BJP government in Haryana has granted a 21-day furlough to rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The move will allow the controversial preacher, convicted of raping two girls, to remain out of jail for the three-week period.
This is the sixth instance where the Dera chief has been granted special permission to remain out of prison. Singh, serving sentences in two rape cases and life imprisonment in two separate murder cases, has been previously granted special permission to leave jail on five occasions.
He was last granted a 30-day parole in July this year which followed a 40-day parole in January. In 2022, Singh walked out of jail thrice — for 21 days in February, 30 days in June and 40 days in October.
The Dera chief, whose release had sparked a major controversy in January this year, will be staying at an ashram in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat. He is currently lodged in lodged at Haryana’s Sunaria jail.
During his 40-day parole in January, the sect chief held several online satsang sessions and was also seen celebrating by cutting a cake with a sword on stage during one such occasion.
Singh’s short breaks from prison at regular intervals have raised eyebrows on several occasions with many questioning the criteria and considerations followed while making such decisions about high-profile inmates with serious criminal convictions.
The Haryana government, however, has defended its decisions so far, arguing that they have been taken as per due process and in line with the convict’s legal rights. As per the jail manual, a convict serving a sentence of over 10 years is allowed 98 days of parole in a year and the period is added to the convict’s overall sentence.
This time though, the Haryana government has opted to give him a furlough. A statement from the Haryana government is awaited in this regard.