Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Walks Out On 30-Day Parole, 16th Release Since Conviction
Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Walks Out On 30-Day Parole, 16th Release Since Conviction Published By, Last Updated: May 26, 2026, 08:09 IST This is
Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Walks Out On 30-Day Parole, 16th Release Since Conviction Published By, Last Updated: May 26, 2026, 08:09 IST This is his second parole in 2026. Before this, he had been granted parole and furlough 15 times. The current release is his 16th parole/furlough since conviction. Rapid Read Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has spent 406 days outside jail in the last eight years. (Image: PTI/File) The incarcerated chief of the Sirsa-based sect Dera Sacha Sauda, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, walked out of Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail on Tuesday after being granted 30 days of parole, the 16th temporary release he has received since 2017. He is serving a 20-year sentence in the Sadhvi sexual assault case. Earlier, on January 5, 2026, he was released on a 40-day parole during celebrations marking Shah Satnam Singh’s birth anniversary.
This is his second parole in 2026. Before this, he had been granted parole and furlough 15 times. The current release is his 16th parole/furlough since conviction. Listed as convict 8647/C in prison records, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has spent 406 days outside Rohtak’s Sunaria prison during the 3,193 days of his sentence completed so far, roughly eight years and eight months. He is serving a 20-year sentence after a special CBI court convicted him in 2017 for raping two women disciples. In 2019, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, and in 2021, for conspiring to kill Dera manager Ranjit Singh. However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted him in the Ranjit Singh murder case in 2024 and in the Ram Chander Chhatrapati murder case in 2026.
With the latest 30-day parole, the dera chief has now exhausted the 10-week parole limit permitted for 2026 under the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022. Earlier this year, he had been granted 40 days of parole in January. Under the law, prisoners can avail parole for a cumulative period of 10 weeks in a calendar year, split into two parts. Separately, they may also receive three weeks of furlough, which cannot be divided. The dera chief remains eligible to avail three weeks of furlough this year. Time spent on parole is excluded from the total sentence period, whereas furlough counts toward the sentence served. This means a prisoner is not required to undergo the period spent on furlough again, unlike parole. The 2022 Act further provides that once Ram Rahim completes three-fourths of his sentence in a particular case — in this instance, the rape conviction — he becomes eligible for four weeks of furlough, which also cannot be taken in parts.
News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location: Punjab, India, India First Published: May 26, 2026, 08:09 IST News india Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Walks Out On 30-Day Parole, 16th Release Since Conviction Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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