Convicted of serious sexual offenses, Dera chief Ram Rahim has been released on parole for the 14th time for 40 days. The repeated relief raises questions about the fairness of the justice system.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Parole: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim is out of jail once again. Ram Rahim, who is serving a life sentence in Haryana's Sunaria Jail, was granted parole for 40 days on Tuesday. This is his 14th release, which raises serious questions about the repeated relief given to a person convicted in serious criminal cases.
Leaves for Sirsa Dera Again from Jail
On Tuesday morning, Ram Rahim was released from Sunaria Jail amidst heavy police security. After this, he left for the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa. This is the same place from where his empire used to operate and where his millions of followers still exist.
Convicted in Serious Cases
Ram Rahim was convicted in 2017 in a case of raping two female followers. Apart from this, he is also serving sentences in the murder of journalist Ramchander Chhatrapati and several other criminal cases. Despite such serious charges and convictions, questions are bound to arise on the repeated temporary releases.
What is Furlough and Parole?
Parole and furlough are provisions in the Indian prison system that allow prisoners to temporarily leave jail. These provisions are on humanitarian grounds, such as family reasons, health problems, or social obligations. But when a sexual offender gets relief so many times, it raises the question of whether the system is bending for someone influential.
Why is there criticism?
Ram Rahim has been granted parole or furlough 14 times so far. Some of these times he was released even for festivals or Dera-related events. This creates the perception that jail is not a punishment for him but just an arrangement from which he can get out whenever he wants. While ordinary prisoners go through a long legal process to get parole even once, Ram Rahim getting frequent exemptions exposes a serious imbalance.
Previous Releases Were Also in Discussion
Even on April 9 this year, Ram Rahim got a 21-day furlough. In 2023 and before that also, he was given holidays on various occasions. After every release of his, the question echoes whether the Indian prison system is equal for all or whether different rules apply for the influential.
