Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his disciples, walked out of Sunaria jail in Rohtak on Tuesday morning after being granted a 21-day furlough, jail sources said.
The release marks the 17th time Ram Rahim has been allowed to leave prison since his conviction in August 2017. He will stay at the Dera's headquarters in Sirsa during the furlough period, the sources said.
This is his third release from prison this year. He was granted a 30-day parole in May and a 40-day parole in January.
Ram Rahim had also been granted a 40-day parole in August 2025, a 21-day furlough in April 2025 and a 30-day parole in January 2025, shortly before the Delhi Assembly polls.
In October 2024, he was released on a 20-day parole, days ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections. He had earlier received a 21-day furlough in August 2024.
His recurring temporary releases have drawn criticism from Sikh organisations, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
Ram Rahim was also granted a three-week furlough from February 7, 2022, shortly before the Punjab Assembly elections.
In March this year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted him in the 2002 murder of a journalist, seven years after a special CBI court had convicted him and sentenced him to life imprisonment in the case.
In May 2024, the high court had also overturned the conviction of Ram Rahim and four others in the 2002 murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh.
The Sirsa-headquartered Dera Sacha Sauda has a substantial following in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. In Haryana, its followers are concentrated in districts including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Hisar.
(With inputs from PTI)
