Rape convict Ram Rahim walks out of jail

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year jail term over the rape of two women disciples at his ashram in Sirsa, was on Tuesday granted a 21-day furlough.

The self-styled godman was released from the jail at 6:30 am on Tuesday. According to sources, he will stay in Dera's ashram in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district.

56-year-old Ram Rahim, with a notable following in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, has been released from jail on furlough on eight separate occasions for different reasons, including his appeal to visit his ailing mother.

According to state rules, furlough is the short release of a prisoner after completing a stipulated part of the sentence.

Singh's latest release on furlough comes days after the Punjab and Haryana High Court disposed of a petition that challenged the grant of temporary release to him.

While rejecting the plea, filed by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the court observed that it should be considered by the competent authority without any "arbitrariness or favouritism".

Earlier on February 29, the high court directed the Haryana government not to grant further parole to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief without its permission.

In June, Singh moved the high court and sought directions to grant him a 21-day furlough.

Singh is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his disciples and is lodged in the Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak district. He was sentenced in 2017.

The Dera chief and three others were also convicted in 2019 for the murder of a journalist more than 16 years ago.

In May, the high court acquitted Singh and four others in the 2002 murder of the sect's former manager Ranjit Singh, citing "tainted and sketchy" investigations in the matter.

Source : IndiaToday