Rape Convict Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Granted 21-day Furlough for First Time

Self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim was granted furlough for the first time after being convicted nearly four years ago.

New Delhi: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim who is currently serving jail on charges of raping his disciples has been granted a 21-day furlough on Monday. The self-styled godman was granted furlough by the Haryana government for first time after being convicted years ago and a jail official confirmed the Dera chief’s release for the next three weeks. Haryana jail minister Ranjit Singh Chautala reportedly said it was the right of every inmate to get furlough as per law and the same was applied to the Dera chief.

The Dera chief’s 3 weeks parole is said to be a significant move ahead of the upcoming Punjab Assembly Elections scheduled to be held on February 20. The Sirsa-based sect leader has major influence on many assembly seats in the state.

Earlier last year, Ram Rahim who was already serving a 20-year jail sentence for raping two of his disciples and a life term for a journalist’s killing, was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder of a former sect manager nearly two decades back.

Ram Rahim, 52, has been undergoing his jail term at the high-security Sunaria jail in Rohtak, 250 kms from state capital Chandigarh, for raping his two disciples, and was sentenced to life for the murder of a journalist in 2002.

Ram Rahim’s conviction on August 25, 2017, in raping his two disciples had led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving 41 people dead and over 260 injured. On January 17, 2019, a special CBI court in Panchkula also sentenced him and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago.

Ram Rahim was patronised by political leaders and parties in Punjab and Haryana for nearly two decades due to his ability to influence the votes of his followers.