Dera chief's bail plea for farming may be nixed as officials say he owns no land

Sources said the report given by the revenue department to the Sirsa district police says that as per revenue records, Gurmeet Ram Rahim does not own any land in his name nor is he a cultivator.
Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh (File | PTI)
Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh (File | PTI)

CHANDIGARH: A question mark hangs over the parole of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim owing to the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana and the recent killing of Mohinder Pal Bittu, a follower of the sect who was murdered in the high-security Nabha Jail.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim had sought parole claiming that he had to tend to his fields in Sirsa. Sources said that the report given by the revenue department to the Sirsa district police states that as per revenue records, Gurmeet Ram Rahim reportedly does not own any land in his name nor is he a cultivator. There are about 250 acres of land in the name of the Dera Sacha Sauda Trust.

"It's not clear how the authorities will give parole to the dera chief as the basis of his application appears to be weak. But it all depends on the divisional commissioner of Rohtak as he is the statutory authority to take a decision on his application after the deputy commissioner's office of Sirsa sends its report to his office which will then take a final call,’’ said an officer on condition of anonymity.

It is learnt that the report is being prepared by the deputy commissioner’s office of Sirsa and will soon be sent to senior authorities. A police official said that if parole is given to Gurmeet Ram Rahim, law and order problems might arise as it will be difficult to keep an eye on his activities round the clock. 

The dera chief who is presently lodged in Sunaria Jail in Rohtak after he was convicted in 2017 in two cases of rape and sentenced to twenty years in jail by the special CBI court in Panchkula. In another case relating to the murder of a journalist, the same court in January this year had sentenced him and three others to life imprisonment.

After his application for parole for 42 days was received by the jail authorities, the jail superintendent wrote to the Sirsa Deputy Commissioner on June 18, seeking a report on whether it was feasible. The superintendent said the conduct of the dera chief in jail has been good and he has not violated any rules and regulations, said sources.

After getting a letter from the jail authorities, the district administration forwarded it to the police department which in turn approached the revenue department to check how much land the dera chief owns and whether it was registered in his name.
 

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