Daijiworld Media Network - Rohtak

Rohtak, Jan 4: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for raping two of his disciples, has been granted a 40-day parole once again, sources said on Sunday. Singh is currently lodged at Sunaria jail in Haryana’s Rohtak district.

This is the latest in a series of paroles and furloughs granted to the self-styled godman since his conviction in 2017. He was earlier given a 40-day parole in August last year. In addition, he was granted a 21-day furlough in April and a 30-day parole in January ahead of the February 5 Delhi assembly elections. He was also allowed a 20-day parole in October 2024, days before the Haryana assembly polls, and a 21-day furlough in August 2024.

Singh was sentenced in 2017 to 20 years’ imprisonment for raping two of his disciples. In 2019, he and three others were also convicted in the murder of a journalist more than 16 years ago.

Prior to the latest parole, Singh had been out of jail on parole or furlough 14 times since his conviction, a fact that has repeatedly drawn criticism from Sikh organisations, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

On several occasions in the past, Singh reportedly stayed at the Dera Sacha Sauda ashram in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district while out of prison. The Sirsa-based sect has a significant number of followers across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and other states, with a strong presence in districts such as Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Hisar.

The repeated grant of parole to the convicted Dera chief has continued to spark debate and concern among various religious and social groups.