Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim released on 40-day parole for 15th time
PTC Web Desk: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who is serving life imprisonment in cases related to the sexual assault of two sadhvis and the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, was released from Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail on a 40-day parole on Monday.
After receiving parole around 11.30 am, Ram Rahim left for the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa under tight security. A convoy of luxury vehicles, including two bulletproof Land Cruisers, two Fortuners and other cars, arrived from Sirsa to escort him from the prison. This marks the 15th time Ram Rahim has stepped out of jail on parole or furlough since his conviction. Earlier, he had been granted parole on August 15 to celebrate his birthday.
According to sources, unlike previous instances when he stayed at the Dera ashram in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat, Ram Rahim will remain at the Sirsa headquarters during this parole period. Police personnel have been deployed in and around the Dera to maintain law and order.
Ram Rahim has been lodged in Sunaria Jail since 2017. On August 25, 2017, a CBI court sentenced him to 20 years’ imprisonment in two cases of sexual assault involving sadhvis. Later, on January 17, 2019, he was awarded life imprisonment in the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. In October 2021, he was again sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder case of Dera manager Ranjit Singh.
However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court later acquitted Ram Rahim in the Ranjit Singh murder case, three years after the conviction. Despite this, he continues to serve his sentence in other cases.
Before this, Ram Rahim was granted a 21-day parole in April. In January, he was released on a 30-day parole just ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections and stayed at the Sirsa dera. During earlier paroles, he had also stayed at the Dera ashram in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh.
During his parole periods, Ram Rahim is not permitted to hold public gatherings. However, he has earlier communicated with his followers through video messages, urging them to follow instructions issued by Dera authorities.
- PTC NEWS
