Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the convicted rapist godman, gets his 14th parole, raising serious questions about politics, power misuse, and prison privilege in India.
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CHANDIGARH: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the self-styled godman and chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, is in the headlines due to the frequent parole granted to him despite serious convictions. Currently serving a 20-year sentence for the rape of two female disciples and life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist, Singh has been released on parole for the 14th time since his conviction in 2017.
On August 5, 2025, Singh walked out of Rohtak’s Sunaria jail on a 40-day parole. This early morning release comes just three months after his last 21-day furlough in April 2025. The controversial godman is now expected to stay at his Sirsa-based Dera until September 14.
Singh’s paroles and furloughs often appear to align suspiciously with major political events:
- January 2025: 30-day parole ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly elections.
- October 2024: 20-day parole just before the October 5 Haryana Assembly polls.
- April 2025: 21-day furlough — followed soon by this August release.
The timing has led many to allege political motives, given Dera Sacha Sauda’s massive influence in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and beyond. Districts such as Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, and Hisar are known strongholds for his followers, making his presence during elections particularly significant
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s fall from grace began in August 2017, when a special CBI court convicted him of raping two of his female disciples, leading to a 20-year prison term. The verdict triggered widespread violence in Haryana and Punjab, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.
In January 2019, Singh was also convicted of orchestrating the 2002 murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who had exposed the sexual abuse within the Dera. He received a life sentence in that case.
While Singh was acquitted in May 2024 by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh, his major convictions — in the rape and journalist murder cases- remain intact.
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The repeated grant of parole and furlough to a convicted rapist and murderer has drawn sharp criticism from various legal experts, civil society members, and women’s rights groups. Critics question how someone with multiple serious convictions continues to receive such leniency from the prison administration and government.
The parole process is meant to facilitate rehabilitation or attend to emergencies like illness or family issues — not to give convicted criminals extended holidays outside prison, especially not on a routine basis.
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