CHANDIGARH: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been granted another 21-day parole, with the jailed sect chief set to leave Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail and head to Sirsa.This is Ram Rahim’s 17th parole since he was first released from prison on parole/furlough in 2020. He was last granted a 30-day parole in May this year.Ram Rahim, who is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two women disciples, was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in 2017 and has been lodged in Sunaria jail since August that year.He was also convicted in the murders of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh and journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. However, the Punjab and Haryana high court subsequently acquitted him in both cases.Under Haryana prison rules, convicts can avail of up to 10 weeks of parole in a year, subject to the required approvals. They are also entitled to three weeks of furlough annually, which counts towards their sentence. Time spent outside prison on parole is added to the sentence period and does not count as time served.Ram Rahim’s repeated temporary releases have drawn scrutiny, with his parole periods often coinciding with important events involving the Dera and its followers.(With agency inputs)
