Barely three days ahead of the Haryana assembly elections on Oct 5, the state govt released the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on parole for 20 days effective Oct 2.
He was released at 6:30 am from Rohtak Jail. His release has sparked controversy with opposition parties arguing it could influence electorates and violate the model code of conduct.
His previous releases on parole have often coincided with electoral events like in the run-up to Oct 2020 Haryana elections and ahead of before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The Dera Sacha Sauda's political wing is known to influence voting patterns in Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh.
The Dera chief is serving a sentence after being convicted in cases of rape of two sadhvis — religious women — and murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
He requested parole for his father’s death anniversary on Oct 5, the same day as voting in Haryana. He had proposed staying in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh.
Given the election code of conduct in place, the request was forwarded to the state election office. The chief electoral officer on Sep 30 clarified that while the government could consider his release, three conditions must be ensured — Ram Rahim cannot enter Haryana, participate in political activities, or engage in election-related actions, including through social media.
Earlier, following a nod from the Chief Secretary’s office, an additional chief secretary (Home) Anurag Rastogi had sent the file to DGP (prisons) Muhammad Akil for further action.
While the state government had already cleared the file, Congress on Oct 1 shot off another complaint to the Election Commission (EC) and Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pankaj Aggarwal against the parole, arguing his release in the run-up to the election could influence voters and amounts to violation of the model code of conduct.
On Sep 27, the prison department sent the communication to Haryana EC through its CEO to consult over its move of deciding on the application for 20-day parole sought by the Dera chief.
The CEO had asked the additional chief secretary to explain the compelling circumstances for granting the parole while the model code of conduct was in place. The parole application had come within a month of the dera head returning to Sunaria jail of Rohtak after completion of his furlough.
Previously, the Dera head had been released on bail ahead or during special occasions linked to electoral politics. He received a 21-day furlough in August to participate in a sect event — a group of people that has separated from a larger group and has a particular set of religious or political beliefs.
Rahim was granted parole several times before previous elections, including a 40-day release in Oct 2020 before the last Haryana election and a 50-day parole before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Notably, in 2023 alone, he was released three times, with paroles granted before elections in Rajasthan and Haryana.
