Haryana Elections: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Receives 20-Day Parole With Restrictions

The Election Commission has granted Gurmeet Ram Rahim's parole with specific conditions. On Tuesday morning, he will head to the Baghpat Ashram in Uttar Pradesh. During his parole period, Ram Rahim is prohibited from staying in Haryana, engaging in any political activities, or issuing political messages on social media. Any breach of these conditions will lead to the cancellation of his parole. The application for parole was also submitted to the Election Commission for review.

Ram Rahim has already been granted parole for fifty days and has now applied for an additional twenty days of parole. This marks the 11th time Ram Rahim will be released from jail. He had previously been released on 21-day parole on August 13 this year and had walked out of the Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak district after being granted the 21-day parole.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim has a substantial influence in regions like Sirsa, Hisar, Fatehabad, and other districts of Haryana, where he has a large following. His release from jail ahead of the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections could potentially impact the electoral outcomes. With the elections set to take place in a single phase on October 5 and the vote counting scheduled for October 8, his influence among supporters may play a crucial role in shaping voter sentiment in these areas.

Earlier this month, the Punjab and Haryana High Court disposed of a petition challenging the grant of temporary release to the jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief, observing that a plea for temporary release should be considered by the competent authority without any "arbitrariness or favoritism."

Concerns were raised that the Dera chief was serving multiple sentences for committing grave offenses such as murder and rape, and his release could jeopardize public order.

In June, Ram Rahim moved the high court, seeking directions to grant him a 21-day furlough. The high court had previously asked the Haryana government not to grant further parole to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief without its permission.

Ram Rahim is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples and is lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak district. He was granted a 50-day parole on January 19.

In May, the high court had acquitted Ram Rahim and four others in the 2002 murder of the sect's former manager, citing "tainted and sketchy" investigations in the matter. A special CBI court had sentenced the five to life imprisonment in the nearly 20-year-old murder case, with Ram Rahim found guilty of hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused.