In 10th such relief in four years, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been again granted furlough – this time for 21 days.
His convoy arrived at the Barnawa Ashram in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat on the morning of 13 August.
Since 2020, the self-styled godman, who is lodged at a prison in Haryana’s Rohtak after he was convicted in two rape and two murder cases, has been out for around 255 days either on parole or furlough.
So, why does Ram Rahim keep getting such relief? What are the cases against him? The Quint explains.
All the Times Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Has Been Granted Parole or Furlough
In 2017, when a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court was sentencing Ram Rahim to 20 years in prison, the judge had said that the self-styled godman did not deserve “the sympathy of the court”.
The judge added that his victims had placed him “on the pedestal of ‘god’ and revered him”, but “he did not even spare his own pious disciples and had acted like a wild beast.”
While both parole and furlough entail suspension of sentence, furlough is seen as a matter of right of a prisoner (in cases of long-term imprisonment), and parole is not treated as a matter of right. The latter is given only for specific reasons. In Ram Rahim’s case, he was granted both at different points of time.
While Opposition members have claimed that the release was closely linked to the elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Haryana government has said that his release was a “mere coincidence” all three times.
Rape, Murder, Castration: The Cases Against Him
1) Sadhvis’ Rape Case, Convicted For 20 Years
What happened: An anonymous letter, written in 2002 and addressed to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice, alleged that Ram Rahim had sexually exploited two sadhvis (female worshippers) and a case was registered against him, according to the court order.
What followed: Following this, the HC ordered the Sirsa district and sessions judge to look into the allegations made in the letter. The case went to the CBI and a charge sheet was filed five years later in 2007. The special CBI court, in 2017, convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim of rape and criminal intimidation.
Case status: Three days after the conviction, the judge announced that the Dera head would be sentenced to prison for 20 years –10 years for each case.
Additionally, the judge also ordered a compensation of Rs 15 lakh each to the two victims.
2) Journalist Murder Case, Sentenced to Life
What happened: Journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, was shot at his house in 2002, reportedly after his newspaper published the anonymous letter that revealed that the two women were being sexually exploited by Ram Rahim.
What followed: The journalist later succumbed to his injuries and a case was registered in 2003. The case was handed over to the CBI in 2006.
Case status: A special CBI court convicted the Dera chief and three of his followers for the murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the accused.
3) Employee Murder Case, Sentenced To Life
What happened: After the anonymous letter alleging sexual harassment by the godman was circulated, the Dera management extensively started looking for the person behind the act.
According to the court order, the management suspected Ranjit Singh, a member of Dera’s influential 10-member committee, to have played a role in the circulation and shot at him.
Singh was killed when he was returning from his fields at his native village in Kurukshetra district.
What followed: The murder case was handed over to the CBI in 2004. The hearing began only in 2017.
Case status: In 2021, a special CBI court held the godman guilty of conspiracy in the murder of Ranjit Singh and sentenced him to life in prison. The court also convicted four others – three for killing Ranjit and one (besides Ram Rahim) for plotting the murder.
In May earlier this year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Ram Rahim and four others in the 22-year-old murder case.
4) Castration Case, Hearing Ongoing
What happened: 400 male devotees from states including Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan were allegedly castrated at the Dera headquarters amid false claims suggesting that “castration would lead to realisation of God."
What followed: A case related to the alleged castration was registered in 2015 on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court after hearing a petition filed by the Dera chief’s former follower Hans Raj Chauhan.
Case status: In 2018, the CBI filed a chargesheet against Dera Sacha Sauda chief and two his accomplices – Doctor Pankaj Garg and Doctor MP Singh, regarding the same. The case is presently being heard.
5) Blasphemy Case, Revision Plea Being Heard
What happened: The Dera chief had allegedly imitated Guru Gobind Singh during a ceremony of the sect. A case, for hurting religious sentiments, was immediately registered.
Case status: In 2014, a Bhatinda court acquitted the Dera chief, but a revision petition was filed in 2015. The hearing is ongoing in this case.
But Who Grants Parole to the 'Godman?'
“The competent authority” shall grant regular parole and furlough to a convicted prisoner, say Section 3 & 4 of the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoner (Temporary Release) Act, 2022.
Section 2 of the same legislation also mentions that it is the state government that will decide on who this “competent authority” is.
The BJP-led Haryana government has repeatedly elicited the wrath of Opposition parties and activists alike for granting parole to the convicted godman.
This seething displeasure at his frequent releases has reached the courtroom, too.
In 2023, a petitioner had claimed that his temporary release, while disturbing public harmony, violated statutory parole rules. The petitioner, who was a lawyer, had stated that the latest parole order violated section 11 of the Haryana Good Conduct prisoners (temporary release) Act 2022
In another petition moved before the Panjab and Haryana HC in October 2022, advocate HC Arora had contended that by permitting Ram Rahim during parole to hold a ‘satsang’, the government has bowed before a rape and murder convict as if he is above law of the land. The high court had, however, dismissed the petition
Further, in February 2022, another petition challenged his release around the time of the Punjab Assembly election and said that the move was “against the spirit of free elections"
‘Not A Hardcore Criminal’: What the Govt Said
The government’s response to most of these allegations has been in defence of the Dera Chief. In 2022, the Haryana government, while defending its decision to release him on furlough, told the high court that he was not a “hardcore criminal”.
Last year, while speaking to the media, the then Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said: “If he has got parole, then it must be after following all the procedures and that is his right. I will not interfere in that."
(This article was originally published in February 2023. It has been updated and reposted from The Quint's archives. With inputs from LiveLaw, ANI, PTI)
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