25 August,2026 10:03 AM IST | Chandigarh | mid-day online correspondent
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. File Photo
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who is serving a 20-year sentence in Sunaria Jail in Haryana's Rohtak for raping two female followers, has been granted another 21-day parole, officials said.
The latest parole marks his 17th release from prison since his conviction in 2017. Under the latest order, Ram Rahim has been permitted to leave the jail and travel to the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa, where he is expected to reach shortly after his release.
Officials said the Dera chief will stay at the sect's headquarters in Sirsa during the 21-day parole period.
His latest temporary release comes a few months after he was granted a 30-day parole on May 26. He had remained at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters during that period.
Ram Rahim has received several temporary releases from prison since his conviction, including both paroles and furloughs.
The self-styled godman was granted a 40-day parole in January this year and another 40-day parole in August 2025. Before that, he received a 21-day furlough in April 2025 and a 30-day parole in January 2025, ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly elections.
He has also been granted several other paroles and furloughs since being convicted in 2017.
The repeated temporary releases have attracted political attention, particularly because the Dera Sacha Sauda has a significant following in several northern states.
The Dera Sacha Sauda has a sizeable following across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and other parts of the country. In Haryana, the organisation has considerable influence in districts including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Hisar.
The sect's political influence and Ram Rahim's repeated temporary releases have previously been a subject of public and political debate, particularly around elections in Haryana and neighbouring states.
Ram Rahim was also acquitted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in March in the 2002 murder case of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
The acquittal came seven years after a special CBI court had convicted him in the case and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The High Court Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Vikram Aggarwal delivered the verdict while hearing appeals challenging the 2019 conviction. The Bench, however, dismissed the appeals filed by two other accused in the case.
The High Court acquitted Ram Rahim after examining the evidence presented in the case, including issues surrounding the bullets allegedly used in the killing.
A special CBI court in Panchkula had convicted Ram Rahim in 2019 for the murder of Chhatrapati. Three of his aides - Krishan Lal, Kuldeep Singh and Nirmal Singh - were also convicted by the court.
Chhatrapati, who was based in Sirsa, was shot in October 2002 and later died from his injuries.
The Central Bureau of Investigation registered the case on November 10, 2003, following directions from the High Court. The agency subsequently took over the investigation from the Sirsa police, which had initially registered the case.
Despite the High Court acquittal in the journalist murder case, Ram Rahim continues to serve his 20-year sentence in the separate rape case involving two female followers.
His latest 21-day parole will be his 17th temporary release since his 2017 conviction. He is expected to travel to Sirsa after leaving Sunaria Jail and remain at the Dera headquarters during the parole period.
(With inputs from IANS)
