Gurmeet Ram Rahim withdraws parole plea

Chandigarh, July 1: Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Monday withdrew his parole application which applied for farming at his fields in Haryana's Sirsa.

"He withdrew his parole application on Monday," a senior official of Haryana Prisons Department said, refusing to divulge further details.

Ram Rahim, behind bars at Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak district after being convicted in two rape cases and murder case of a journalist, had sought 42 days of parole to look after his fields in Sirsa district. Following his application for the parole, the jail superintendent had written to the Sirsa district administration.

In a letter dated June 18, the official had sought a report whether releasing Ram Rahim on parole would be feasible or not. In the communique, the jail superintendent had mentioned that Dera Sacha Sauda chief's conduct in the jail had been good and he had not violated any rule.

The Sirsa district administration had been asked to submit a report to the Rohtak division commissioner with a copy marked to the jail superintendent. On receiving the letter, the Sirsa Police had approached the Revenue Department to ascertain how much land the Dera chief owns.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had last month said a decision on the parole application of Dera Sacha Sauda chief would be taken keeping in view the interests of the state.

"Anyone who is entitled for parole can seek one. We cannot stop anyone," Khattar had said.

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A parole application is filed before a jail superintendent who forwards it to the deputy commissioner concerned. Then a report is sought from the superintendent of police and, in the end, a recommendation is made by the divisional commissioner.

In August 2017, the Dera chief was sentenced to 20 years in jail for raping two women. A special CBI court in Panchkula had in January this year also sentenced him and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago.

PTI