Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, was granted a 40-day parole on Sunday and walked out of Sunaria Jail on Monday. Serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his disciples, this marks his 15th release since being convicted in 2017. During his parole period, Singh will stay at the Dera's headquarters in Sirsa, Haryana, according to the sect's spokesperson and advocate Jitender Khurana.
What is Ram Rahim accused of?
Singh’s legal troubles extend beyond his 2017 conviction for rape. In 2019, he and three others were sentenced for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago. In May 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Singh and four others in the 2002 murder of Ranjit Singh, the Dera’s former manager. The High Court criticized the investigation as "tainted and sketchy," overturning the life imprisonment sentences handed down by a special CBI court. This acquittal came after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had found Singh guilty of conspiring in the murder, marking another dramatic shift in Singh’s legal saga.
Despite these serious charges, he has repeatedly been granted parole, leading to public outcry. His last release occurred in August 2025 when he was allowed a 40-day parole. Prior to that, he had been given a 21-day furlough in April 2025, followed by a 30-day parole in January 2025, just ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls.
In October 2024, Singh was granted a 20-day parole in the lead-up to the Haryana Assembly elections.
Sikh organizations, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), have previously voiced their concerns about the repeated parole grants, calling them politically motivated.
Dera Sacha Sauda, which has a massive following across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and other states, remains a significant religious and social force. Its headquarters in Sirsa, along with its influence in districts like Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, and Hisar, has led some to argue that the repeated parole grants are a result of the Dera’s political clout. Singh's stays at the Dera's ashram in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, have also raised eyebrows, with critics suggesting that his parole is strategically timed to maximize his public presence and influence.
