Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, serving a 20-year prison sentence for rape and convicted in a journalist's murder, was granted 40-day parole on Tuesday.
Since 2020, the rapist and murderer has got at least 344 days of parole and furloughs. That is far more than the 30 days a year of earned/privileged leave per year an average corporate employee in a generous private company gets in India.
Singh, who will turn 58 on August 15, was convicted in 2017 for raping two of his disciples.
In May last year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted him and four others in the 2002 murder of the sect's former manager Ranjit Singh, citing "tainted and sketchy" investigations into the matter. Earlier, a special CBI court sentenced them to life imprisonment in the nearly 20-year-old murder case. It held Singh guilty of hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused.
The Sirsa-headquartered Dera Sacha Sauda has a number of followers in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and other states. In Haryana, the Dera has a sizable number of followers in many districts, including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Hisar.
Despite the serious nature of his convictions, Singh has frequently walked out of jail—often around elections or religious events.
Here’s a timeline of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s paroles and furloughs, compiled from published reports:
-
24 October 2020
Duration: 1 day
Reason: To visit his ailing mother in Gurgaon.
Highlights: Visit carried out secretly; police accompanied him. -
21 May 2021
Duration: 12 hours
Reason: Another visit to his unwell mother.
Highlights: Allowed parole from sunrise to sunset under police protection. -
7 February 2022
Duration: 21 days (Furlough)
Reason: He was granted a furlough to visit his family members in Gurugram.
Highlights: Received Z+ security. Came just weeks before Punjab Assembly elections. -
17 June 2022
Duration: 30 days (Parole)
Reason: In his plea, he requested to visit the Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram in Barnawa, Baghpat (UP).
Highlights: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee strongly objected to this release. -
14 October 2022
Duration: 40 days (Parole)
Location: Barnawa Ashram.
Highlights: Released three music videos. DCW chairperson appealed to cancel parole. -
21 January 2023
Duration: 40 days (Parole)
Reason: To attend Dera’s religious fest virtually.
Highlights: Viral video showed him cutting cake with sword—violating Arms Act. -
20 July 2023
Duration: 30 days (Parole)
Location: Barnawa Ashram.
Highlights: Routine release with minimal public appearances. -
20 November 2023
Duration: 21 days (Parole)
Highlights: Continued trend of periodic release without disclosed public activity. -
19 January 2024
Duration: 50 days (Parole)
Location: Barnawa Ashram.
Highlights: Longest parole granted yet. -
2 October 2024
Duration: 20 days (Parole)
Reason: Granted just before Haryana Assembly polls.
Highlights: Election Commission banned him from entering Haryana or making speeches. -
28 January 2025
Duration: 30 days (Parole)
Highlights: One week before Delhi polls; split time between Sirsa (10 days) and Barnawa (20 days). -
9 April 2025
Duration: 21 days (Furlough)
Location: Stayed at Sirsa Dera Headquarters. -
5 August 2025 (Latest)
Duration: 40 days (Parole)
Highlights: Returned to Sirsa Dera. This marks nearly three months out of jail in 2025 alone.