Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was granted a 30-day parole on Tuesday.
In a statement to ANI, Ram Rahim’s advocate, Jitendra Khurana, emphasized that the parole is a legal right, and should not be politicized. “The 30-day parole has been granted as per the law. Every prisoner has the legal right to apply for parole, and this should not be tied to political events or elections. When applying for parole, a prisoner can specify where they wish to go. In this case, Ram Rahim requested to visit the Dera Sacha Sauda ashram, and permission was granted accordingly. After being released on parole, he arrived at the ashram in Sirsa this morning,” Khurana explained.
He also clarified, “According to the law, parole can be granted for up to 70 days, and a furlough of 21 days per year is permitted. Ram Rahim’s parole is entirely within the legal framework.”
On January 3, the Supreme Court issued a notice to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four others regarding a plea from the CBI challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s judgment, which acquitted them in the 2002 murder of the sect’s former manager, Ranjit Singh.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjeev Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar sought responses from Ram Rahim and the others, and combined the matter with another pending appeal filed by the complainant, the father of the deceased, who had also challenged the acquittal. The bench directed that the matter be heard by a bench led by Justice Bela Trivedi, which had previously issued notice in the complainant’s appeal.
“Our attention has been drawn to the office report dated September 9, 2024, of the order passed by the bench of Justice Bela Trivedi, issue notice and tag with… the SLP be listed before the bench presided by Justice Bela Trivedi,” the bench ordered.