Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh walked out of Haryana's Sunaria jail after being granted a 21-day furlough. Serving a 20-year prison sentence for raping two female disciples, this temporary release marks his 17th walkout since his conviction in 2017.

This is his third release, following temporary leaves granted in January (40 days) and May (30 days).Under heavy security cover, he traveled directly to the Dera headquarters in Sirsa, Haryana, to spend his furlough period.The frequent approvals trace back to amendments in the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022, which streamlined the rules for convict leaves based on behavioral records.

• VIP Treatment Allegations: Opposition political figures, legal experts, and social activists continue to question why a convict serving a 20-year sentence receives repeated temporary relief, accumulating hundreds of days outside prison over the past few years.

• Political Timing: Critics often link the timing of his releases to crucial regional political events or election cycles due to his extensive vote-bank influence across Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan.

• Public Faith in the Justice System: Sikh organizations like the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) have strongly protested these releases, arguing that frequent concessions weaken public confidence in criminal justice accountability.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who is serving a life sentence in Rohtak's Sunaria Jail for the sexual assault of female followers and the murder of a journalist, has once again been released from jail. He has been granted a 40-day parole. After receiving parole around 11:30 AM on Monday, he left for the Dera headquarters in Sirsa.

A convoy of luxury vehicles from the Sirsa Dera arrived to pick up Gurmeet Ram Rahim from Sunaria Jail, including two bulletproof Land Cruisers, two Fortuners, and two other vehicles. This is the 15th time the Dera chief has been released from jail on parole or furlough. Earlier, Dera chief Ram Rahim had come out of jail to celebrate his birthday on August 15th.

It is being said that this time Ram Rahim will not go to the Barnawa Ashram in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, but will stay at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. Police personnel have been deployed around the Dera for Ram Rahim's security.

Dera chief Ram Rahim has been in jail since 2017.
On August 25, 2017, Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the case of sexual assault of two female followers. Later, on January 17, 2019, he was given a life sentence in the murder case of journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati. In October 2021, the CBI court sentenced him to life imprisonment in the murder case of Dera manager Ranjit Singh.

Three years after the sentence, the High Court acquitted Ram Rahim in this case. Ram Rahim is currently imprisoned in Sunaria Jail in Rohtak. He has been released from here on parole and furlough 14 times so far. This is the 15th time Ram Rahim will be released from jail. He was previously granted parole during the Delhi Assembly elections.

Earlier, in April, he was released on 21-day parole. In January, he was released on 30-day parole a week before the Delhi Assembly elections. During this time, he stayed at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. Previously, when he was out of jail, he stayed at the Dera ashram in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh.

There, he released a video message to his followers, appealing to them to follow the instructions issued by Dera officials. He is not allowed to gather his followers at the Dera, but he can communicate with them through virtual means.

What are parole and furlough, under which Ram Rahim is released?

Parole: A prisoner can be granted parole if they have completed a portion of their sentence. Parole is granted to prisoners only under special conditions, such as the death or illness of a family member, the marriage of a close relative, or other compelling reasons. There are two types of parole: regular and custody. In regular parole, the prisoner can remain free, but in custody parole, the prisoner is accompanied by the police.

Learn about furlough as well: A prisoner does not need any special conditions to be granted furlough. It is their legal right. Every state has its own rules and guidelines for furlough. The rules and guidelines of many states are more or less the same, only the process of obtaining furlough differs.