Dera Chief Ram Rahim Granted 21-Day Furlough Ahead of Haryana Assembly Polls, Sparking Controversy
Chandigarh: Ahead of the Assembly polls in Haryana, likely slated in October, rape convict and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who is undergoing a 20-year sentence for raping two disciples, was granted a 21-day furlough on Tuesday, 10th time in four years. After the parole, he will be staying in his sect’s Dera in Bagphat in Uttar Pradesh.
The last time Ram Rahim was granted a 50-day parole was in January.
This month the Punjab and Haryana High Court made it clear that any application for temporary release filed by Ram Rahim was required to be decided without any preferential treatment or bias by the competent authority in accordance with the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022.
Ram Rahim in June had moved the high court, seeking directions to grant him a 21-day furlough.
In his plea seeking furlough, he mentioned several welfare activities being carried out by the sect headed by him for which he needed to do a motivational drive.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had filed the petition against the temporary release of Ram Rahim. The apex gurdwara body had also contended that the Dera chief was suffering multiple sentences for committing grave offences such as murder and rape and if released, it will jeopardise the sovereignty and integrity of India and adversely affect public order. In February, the High Court had asked the Haryana government not to grant further parole to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief without its permission. (IANS)
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