Why Ram Rahim gets frequent paroles? A 2022 Haryana rule may hold the answer

In August, Ram Rahim received another 40-day parole for his own 58th birthday celebrations.

• Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh granted 40-day parole, his 15th release since 2020
• Victim's kin and Opposition criticize frequent paroles for the Dera chief
• Haryana law allows up to 70 days of parole yearly for eligible inmates

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As Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh walked out of the Sunaria jail in Rohtak this week after he was granted a 40-day parole, his 15th release from the jail since 2020, the victim’s kin and the Opposition slammed the government over the move.

Singh is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples. He was given a 40-day parole on Sunday to celebrate the birth anniversary of Shah Satnam Ji Maharaj, second chief of Dera Sacha Sauda on January 25. Till now, he has spent 366 days out of jail during his period of incarceration.

Dera spokesperson Jitender Khurana told Hindustan Times that the 40-day parole was granted by the state’s “competent authority” as part of a jail inmate’s rights. “Every inmate can take 70 days of parole and 21 days of furlough in a year. Out of these 70 days, he has been granted 40 days of parole. This is not only given only to him, rather there are 6,000 inmates, who are released by the competent authority legally under the same rules. During the parole period, he will remain at the Sirsa-based dera headquarters,” he said.

In August, Ram Rahim received another 40-day parole for his own 58th birthday celebrations. He also received 30-day and 21-day paroles in 2024 and 2023, respectively, for his birthday.

In 2023, the Haryana government said Singh is not a hardcore prisoner and his conviction in two different murder cases cannot be termed serial killing.

The state government also said the main purpose of such provisions (parole) is to afford prisoners an opportunity to solve their personal and family problems and enable them to maintain their links with the society and that it is also considered as a rehabilitation tool.

How Haryana law helps Dera chief

According to the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022, a convicted prisoner to be released for 10 weeks each calendar year, which can be taken in two parts. A report by the deputy commissioner or the superintendent of police, along with a recommendation from the district magistrate, is sufficient to secure parole under this law.

The 2022 law does not stipulate such conditions but has different categories of parole — regular, emergency and custodial.

The law states that “hardcore convicted prisoners" — those convicted of rape or murder –cannot receive regular parole. Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted of rape in 2017 and of two separate murders in 2019 and 2021, with a sentence of 20 years in jail.