BJP-led Haryana government ‘keen’ on granting parole to Ram Rahim

The BJP-led Haryana government seems to be keen to grant a 20-day parole to the imprisoned head of Sirsa dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh before the October 5 assembly elections, according to people privy to the matter.
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The self-styled godman has often been accused of trying to influence his followers to vote in a particular manner in the elections.
Since cases of parole during the imposition of model code of conduct have to be routed through the chief electoral officer (CEO) for consultation, Ram Rahim’s plea for 20-day parole was sent to the election department on September 28, which, in turn, asked the jails department to explain ‘compelling emergent reasons’ behind the request.
“The dera representatives have cited the upcoming death anniversary of Ram Rahim’s father Maghar Singh on October 5 (observed as Parmarthi Diwas) as an emergent compelling reason for grant of parole. Besides, they have also cited the ongoing celebrations of Guru Gaddi Diwas (the day in 1990 when Ram Rahim was appointed as successor by Shah Satnam Singh) that started on September 23 and will continue till mid-October as another compelling reason for grant of parole,’’ said a state official.
The ‘compelling reasons’ cited by dera representatives in support of the parole application were conveyed to the chief electoral officer who on Monday asked the state government to consider the grant of parole subject to correctness of the facts cited in the application.
“Of course, the parole, if granted, would also be subject to restrictions that the dera head will not stay in Haryana and will not make any election-related speech or canvass during the elections. The authorities will also have to keep a watch on his movements. In his application, the dera head has given an undertaking that during the period of temporary release, he will stay put at a dera in Barnawa in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh,” said another official.
Anshul Chhatrapati, son of slain journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, for whose murder Ram Rahim is serving a life sentence in a communication to the Election Commission (EC) said the a special feature of latter’s temporary release is that on six occasions (out of 10 paroles and furloughs he has been granted), Ram Rahim was released just before an election. “For the first time, he got 21 days of furlough in February 2022 before the Punjab assembly elections. Then he got 30 days of parole in June 2022 before the Haryana municipal corporation elections. After that, in October 2022, he again got 40 days of parole before the Adampur assembly byelection in Haryana. He got 30 days of parole in July 2023 before the Haryana panchayat elections. Then he got 29 days of parole in November 2023 before the Rajasthan assembly elections,’’ Anshul wrote.
As per EC guidelines, the model code of conduct applied to cases of releases of convicts on parole. “If the state government considered that release of any convict on parole is absolutely essential for certain compelling reasons, in that case the state government shall consult the CEO before granting parole. The parole should be given in the cases of extreme emergency and it should be ensured that the convict does not indulge in any poll-related activities,’’ said an April 10, 2019, EC communication to the chief secretaries of states.
Officials said that as per the legal advice taken from Haryana advocate general Baldev Raj Mahajan, the request for grant of parole during the imposition of model code of conduct can be considered by the competent authority after consultation with the chief electoral officer, subject to compelling reasons and within the ambit of Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act.
The dera head, who was recently granted a 21-day temporary release in the form of furlough on August 13, had stayed at a Barnawa dera and returned to the confines of Rohtak’s Sunaria prison on September 2.
The religious leader is serving a 20-year jail term after he was convicted by a CBI court in 2017 of raping of two disciples. He was subsequently convicted in two murder cases and will serve life sentences of those crimes after this jail term. Ram Rahim and three others were convicted in January 2019 for the murder of a journalist more than 16 years ago. In October 2021, he and four others were convicted for hatching a conspiracy to kill Ranjit Singh, a manager at the dera. Since his conviction, the dera chief has spent 255 days outside the jail.
The Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act lays down that a convicted prisoner ( except hardcore convicts) may be released on regular parole, which does not count to a person’s term served, for up to 10 of the 52 weeks in a calendar year, at most in two parts. Besides, a convicted prisoner is entitled to three weeks of furlough but it cannot be availed in parts.
A dera spokesperson said since the Ram Rahim was entitled to 91 days of temporary release in a calendar year, his request for a 20-day parole is as per the law. “He has availed 50 days of parole and 21 days of furlough. So, he is entitled to another 20 days of parole in the calendar year. As the calendar year is coming to a close, he has to exhaust the 20 days of parole otherwise it would get lapsed,’’ the spokesperson said.