Controversial godman and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim was granted parole once again on Thursday (July 20). This time, the bail period is of 30-days. He is currently lodged in the sunariya jail of Rothak. His application for parole was accepted and he was told that the bail bond process could be filled up till evening. This means that the controversial and convicted self-proclaimed godman is all set to move to his UP Ashram in Barwana, Baghpat as he has not been allowed to court to visit Sirsa asharam, said reports. The rape and murder convict will now celebrate his birthday next month on August 15 in Baghpat. Every year thoudands of his followers send wishes and gift cards at Rohtak jail where is lodged.
This is the fifth time in the last 20 months and third time in less than nine months that Ram Rahim has been granted parole. Earlier, he was released on parole for 40 days in October 2022 ahead of the Haryana panchayat election and the Adampur Assembly bypoll. He had first got parole in October 24, 2020 and this is the seventh time in 30 months or two-and-a-half years that he has been granted parole.
Paroles to Ram Rahim
- For the first time on October 24, 2020, the government granted him one day parole to meet his mother who was ill.
- Granted parole for 1 day on 21 May 2021 to meet ailing mother for the second time.
- On 7 February 2022, the Haryana government granted him parole for 21 days.
- On June 2022, Ram Rahim was again given parole for one month.
- On October 2022, Ram Rahim was once again released on parole for 40 days.
- Ram Rahim was granted parole for 40 days on 21 January 2023 to attend Dera chief Shah Satnam's birth anniversary.
Serving a 20-year jail term for rape and murder
The Sirsa-Dera chief who is serving a 20-year jail term for rape and murder had earlier walked out on a 40-day parole from the Sunaria Jail in Haryana's Rohtak district in February and arrived at his Barnawa Ashram in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat. Earlier, he was released on parole for 40 days in October 2022 ahead of the Haryana panchayat election and the Adampur Assembly bypolls. His presence outside jail had created quite a controversy as he had reportedly given virtual summons and also held "pravachans".
Convicted in 2017
He was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in August 2017 for raping two women followers. CBI had registered the case on the orders passed by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana in 2003 and taken over the investigation of the case earlier registered at Police Station Sadar in Kurukshetra.
Ram Rahim convicted in 2021
It was alleged that Ranjit Singh, a resident of village Khanpur Kolian, Kurukshetra was murdered on July 10, 2002, when he was working in his fields at village Khanpur Kolian of District Kurukshetra in Haryana. After a thorough investigation, CBI filed a charge sheet in 2007 against six accused and charges were framed in 2008 while, on October 8, 2021, the court convicted Rahim and four others in connection with former Dera manager Ranjit Singh's murder case.
(With agency inputs)
