New Delhi: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Singh, who has been convicted in a rape case, has once again received welcome news. He has been granted parole for a few days, allowing him to step out of prison. The court has approved a 21-day parole for Ram Rahim, meaning he will be able to enjoy life outside prison bars for this period.
He will travel from Sunaria Jail to Sirsa. This marks the 17th time Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been released since 2020. Ram Rahim, who claims to be a godman, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the court after being convicted in 2017 of raping two female followers. Three months ago, in 2026, the court had granted him a 30-day parole.
How many times has the convicted individual received parole?
This is not the first time Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim is stepping out of prison; he has previously been granted parole on multiple occasions. He was first released from prison for a single day in October 2020. The trend continued; through various spells of parole and furlough, Ram Rahim has spent more than 450 days out of prison so far.
- For a few hours in May
Three times in 2022, for a total of 91 days
- 21 days in February 2022
- 30 days in June 2022
- 40 days in October 2022
Three times in 2023, for a total of 91 days
- 40 days in January 2023
- 30 days in July 2023
- 21 days in November 2023
Twice in 2024, for a total of 91 days
- 50 days in January 2024
- 21 days in August 2024
- 20 days in October 2024
Three times in 2025, for a total of 91 days
- 30 days in January 2025
- 21 days in April 2025
- 40 days in August 2025
Three times so far in 2026, for a total of 91 days
- 40 days in January 2026
- 30 days in May 2026
- 21 days in August 2026.
Parole is not counted as time served in prison.
For context, prison rules allow convicts to avail themselves of 10 weeks of parole annually. The time spent on parole is added to the total duration of the sentence but is not counted as time actually spent in prison. Additionally, convicts sentenced to more than 10 years of imprisonment are granted three weeks of parole per year; this period is counted as time spent in jail. Ram Rahim had been convicted for the murders of a former Dera manager and a journalist; however, the High Court subsequently acquitted him in both cases.
