In his 15th parole since coviction in rape case, Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh set to come out of jail for 40 days

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. (File Photo)

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, currently serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, is once again likely to step out of Rohtak’s Sunaria prison, this time on a 40-day parole.

After completing the requisite formalities, he is likely to be released from prison, either after lunch on Sunday or Monday morning, although his 40-day parole has been approved by the district administration.

Singh last came out of Rohtak’s Sunaria prison on a 40-day parole on August 5, 2025, to celebrate his birthday on August 15 and went back to prison in September. This will be the 15th time Singh has moved out of the prison since his conviction in the rape case in August 2017.

During his parole period, Singh is expected to remain at the dera’s headquarters in Sirsa.

Before August last year, he was released on a 21-day furlough in April 2025. In January 2025, he was released on a 30-day parole a week before the Delhi Assembly elections and stayed at the Dera’s headquarters in Sirsa. In earlier instances, when he was out of jail, he mostly remained at the Dera’s ashram in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat and twice at Sirsa.

Upon his release, he will leave Sunaria prison in a cavalcade of over two dozen vehicles, including bulletproof vehicles, since he also enjoys Z-category security cover. Although he is not allowed to assemble his followers at his Deras, he can address them virtually. Conviction and violence

In August 2017, a Panchkula court found Singh guilty on two counts of rape and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. The court also ordered him to pay a fine of Rs 15 lakh to each of his victims. Reacting to the conviction, his followers then went on a rampage and entered into a fierce clash with the armed forces. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of over 40 people in Panchkula and Sirsa.

The Dera chief was airlifted in a chopper from Panchkula and taken to Rohtak’s Sunaria prison, where he had been living ever since. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh first came out of prison on October 24, 2020 (1-day parole); then on May 21, 2021 (12-hour parole to meet his ailing mother); February 7, 2022 (21-day furlough); June 2022 (30-day parole); October 14, 2022 (40-day parole). He was then released on January 21, 2023 (40-day parole); July 20, 2023 (30-day parole); November 21, 2023 (21-day furlough); January 19, 2024 (50-day furlough); August 13, 2024 (21-day furlough); October 2, 2024 (20-day parole); January 28, 2025 (30-day parole); April 9 2025 (21-day furlough) and August 5, 2025 (40-day parole).