Granting parole to Dera Sacha Sauda chief was right: Haryana government

Chandigarh: The Haryana government has justified the parole granted to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, saying he does not fall within the definition of a “dreaded prisoner” and cannot be called a “serial killer”.

The Dera chief is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples. He was granted a 40-day parole on January 20. He has also been convicted in two murder cases.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) recently challenged the parole order in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In the reply filed in the court, the state government said that nothing illegal has been done by granting parole to Ram Rahim. The reply has been filed through the superintendent of Sunaria jail in Rohtak. Ram Rahim is serving his sentence in this jail.
The petitioner has contended that after being convicted in two murder cases, Ram Rahim now comes under the definition of ‘convicted dreaded prisoner’ under Section 2(1)(g) of the Haryana Virtuous Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act 2022. The ACGPC has also contended that the two murder cases amount to ‘serial killing’ under the law.
The state government rejected the arguments of the SGPC, citing that the conviction in two separate cases of Ram Rahim’s murder cannot be termed as ‘serial killings’ as he is not an attacker and has not committed the murder.