Was Ram Rahim's release on parole for the 10th time since his conviction in 2017 timed to coincide with the Haryana assembly elections? It does seem so when one considers he has been released mostly when there was an election in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Listing the times that Ram Rahim has been out on parole.
Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has sought a 20-day parole, a request which comes days ahead of the October 5 Haryana assembly polls.
Singh was convicted in 2017 of raping two disciples and sentenced to 20 years in jail, but has been released on parole/furlough quite a few times since then.
Lodged in Haryana's Sunaria jail, he was granted 21 days' furlough a few weeks ago.
This was the 10th instance in the last seven years that he has been out on parole since his conviction in 2017.
In all, he has been out of jail for 244 days.
Hemant Shivsaran/Rediff.com lists the number of times Singh has managed to step out of Sunaria jail.
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| | Released On | Duration |
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| | Parole 1 | |
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October 24, 2020 |
One day
Purpose: To visit his ailing mother
On October 24, 2020, the jail superintendent granted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh a day's parole on his wife Harjit Kaur's plea, to allow him to visit his ailing mother Naseeb Kaur, who was suffering from heart disease in a hospital in Gurugram. Haryana Minister for Power and Prisons Ranjit Singh justified the one-day parole on the ground that in case of an emergency in the family of a convict the prisoner is allowed to visit his family under police protection. Ram Rahim was taken home under full police protection.
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| | Parole 2 | |
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May 21, 2021 |
12 hours
Purpose: To visit his ailing mother
On May 21, 2021, Haryana's BJP-JJP coalition government then led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar again granted him a one-day emergency parole to meet his ailing mother in a Gurugran hospital, which led to his release for 12 hours, 'from sunrise to sunset', under police protection. The high-profile convict sought emergency parole from the Sunaria jail superintendent. The jail authorities wrote to the Haryana police to inquire about the health of his mother and also asked them to evaluate the application in terms of law and order and to issue a 'no-objection' certificate, if found satisfactory. Which was done.
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| | Parole 3 | |
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February 20, 2022 |
12 days
Coincided with: Punjab assembly election
With just 12 days remaining before the Punjab assembly election on February 20, 2022, he was granted a 21-day furlough on February 7, 2022, to visit his family in Gurugram. He had applied for furlough before the Rohtak jail superintendent who forwarded it to the Gurugram deputy commissioner of police with his recommendations. Later, the DC and police commissioner sent their recommendations to the Rohtak divisional commissioner who granted him the furlough.
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| | Parole 4 | |
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June 17, 2022 |
30 days
Coincided with: Haryana municipal elections
On June 17, 2022, Ram Rahim was granted a 30-day parole by the Rohtak divisional commissioner based on the recommendation of officials, according to Haryana's Jails Minister Ranjit Chautala. This parole coincided with the Haryana municipal elections scheduled for June 19, 2022. During this period, Ram Rahim stayed at his Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram, Barnawa, in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat. A go-ahead from the administration in Baghpat was taken before clearance was given for the parole, the minister said. The Dera chief's arrival at the Baghpat ashram around noon, which was broadcast on his official Facebook page, attracted a crowd of devotees. Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee President Harjinder Singh Dhami objected to the parole and said the decision showed the double standards of the government.
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| | Parole: 5 | |
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October 14, 2022 |
40 days
Coincided with: Assembly bypolls in Adampur, Punjab
On October 14, 2022, Ram Rahim was granted a 40-day parole, during which he again stayed in Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat. This parole took place just before the assembly bypolls in Adampur, Punjab, on November 3, 2022, as well as the panchayat elections on October 30 and November 2, 2022. During his parole, Ram Rahim released three music videos of tracks wrote, sang, produced and composed by him, titled Sadi Nit Diwali, Jaago Duniya De Loko and Chat Pe Chat, on his YouTube channel. The Bharatiya Janata Party's Haryana unit came under fire for attending an online satsang organised by Singh from his ashram in Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, the event was attended by several BJP leaders, including Karnal Mayor Renu Bala Gupta. A video of the event went viral, where Renu Bala is heard mentioning by-elections and inviting Ram Rahim to the state.
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| | Parole 6 | |
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January 21, 2023 |
40 days
On January 21, 2023, he was given another parole for 40 days to stay at his Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram, Barnawa. The main motive of the parole was to allow him to virtually attend the grand religious fest held at the Dera headquarters, in Sirsa, on the birth anniversary of the previous Dera chief, Shah Satnam Singh. On January 23, 2023, Ram Rahim was seen cutting a giant cake with a sword at the Barnawa ashram in a viral video, which is illegal under the Arms Act, 1959.
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| | Parole 7 | |
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July 20, 2023 |
30 days
Coincided with: Haryana panchayat elections
On July 20, 2023, he was granted a 30-day parole to celebrate his birthday on August 15 in Baghpat. This parole period coincided with the Haryana panchayat elections for five gram panchayats across three districts, scheduled for August 13.
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| | Parole 8 | |
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November 20, 2023 |
20 days
Coincided with: Rajasthan assembly elections
On November 20, 2023, Ram Rahim was granted 21-day furlough extension from Haryana government. This is the third time he was given relief this year ahead of the Rajasthan assembly elections on November 25, 2023.
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| | Parole 9 | |
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January 19, 2024 |
50 days
Coincided with: Pran Pratishtha in Ayodhya
On January 19, 2024, the Haryana government granted Ram Rahim a 50-day parole, three days ahead of the pran pratishtha (consecration) of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
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| | Parole 10 | |
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August 13, 2024 |
21 days
Coincided with: Haryana assembly elections
On February 29, 2024, the high court directed the Haryana government not to grant further parole to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief without its permission. In June, Singh moved the high court and sought directions to grant him a 21-day furlough. The Punjab and Haryana high court disposed of a petition filed by the SGPC, with the court observing that it should be considered by the competent authority without any 'arbitrariness or favouritism'. On August 9, the high court had vacated the stay on granting parole to the Dera chief, holding that the state was competent to take a decision on such issues. On August 10, Ram Rahim applied under Section 4 of the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Releases) Act, 2022 for 21 days furlough at Shah Satnam ashram, Dera Sacha Sauda, in Baghpat, UP. On August 11, Baghpat district magistrate and Baghpat superintendent of police raised no objections to his release. On August 12, the Rohtak divisional commissioner ordered the release of the Dera chief after confirming that the applicant was entitled to release under the act. On August 13, 2024, with just two months remaining for the assembly elections in Haryana, Ram Rahim Singh was granted furlough once again, this time for 21 days. This marks the 10th instance of the Dera chief receiving parole or furlough since his first conviction in 2017, and the sixth time ahead of elections in Haryana, Punjab, or Rajasthan, where he has a significant following.
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| | Parole 11 | |
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October 1, 2024 |
21 days
Coincided with: October 5 Haryana assembly polls
The Haryana government granted a 20-day parole to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh while barring him from taking part in election-related activities and staying in Haryana during the period. He will stay at his Dera ashram in Barnawa during the period. The jails department had forwarded the Dera chief's parole plea to the Haryana chief electoral officer in view of the Model Code being in place for the assembly polls. In August this year, Singh was granted a 21-day furlough. He was granted three weeks' furlough from February 7, 2022, barely two weeks before the Punjab assembly polls.
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IMAGE: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in MSG: The Messenger. Photograph: Kind courtesy Saint MSG
Data curated by Hemantkumar Shivsharan/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
