CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — Gurmeet Ram Rahim, head of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect and a convict in rape and murder cases, has been granted a 40-day parole, officials said, marking his 15th release from jail since his conviction eight years ago.
The parole was cleared by the Rohtak Divisional Commissioner, and prison authorities said Ram Rahim is likely to step out of Sunaria jail in Haryana’s Rohtak district within the next two days.
“He will be released after completion of formalities,” a jail official said.
Ram Rahim is serving a 20-year sentence for the rape of two women followers and a life term for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. The journalist was shot dead in 2002 after writing about alleged abuses within the Dera.
The sect chief was previously granted a 40-day parole in August 2025, months after receiving a 21-day furlough in April and a 30-day parole in January, ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections held in February.
Records show that Ram Rahim has frequently been released on parole or furlough over the years. In October 2024, he was granted a 20-day parole just days before the Haryana Assembly elections, while in August 2024, he received a 21-day furlough.
In February 2022, he was allowed a three-week furlough shortly before the Punjab Assembly polls.
Officials said that during earlier paroles, Ram Rahim usually stayed at the Dera headquarters in Uttar Pradesh’s Bagpat district, where his followers gathered in large numbers.
