Dera chief granted parole to meet ailing mother

Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is facing a 20-year jail term and lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak.

Chandigarh: Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is facing a 20-year jail for raping his disciples, was granted parole for 48 hours on Friday.

Ram Rahim, who is currently lodged in Rohtak's Sunaria jail, had sought ''emergency parole'' to meet and attend to his ailing mother a few days ago.

Though the Dera chief had sought 21-day parole to meet his mother, Naseeb Kaur jail administration granted him parole for three days.

Notably, the Dera head had earlier been given a day's parole to meet his ailing mother in October 2020.

Last week, he had been admitted to the PGIMS hospital in Rohtak for a day with complaints of dizziness and blood pressure fluctuations.

The self-styled godman was sentenced in August 2017 to 20 years in jail for raping two women.

A special CBI court in Panchkula this January also sentenced him and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago.

In the jail too, Ram Rahim spends most of his time growing vegetables and fruits and earns Rs 20 daily for eight hours for farming, which comes under the unskilled work category.

As per the jail superintendent, Ram Rahim's conduct in the jail is like a "disciplined inmate".

His conviction on August 25, 2017, had led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving 41 people dead and over 260 injured.

Ram Rahim was patronized by political leaders and parties in Punjab and Haryana for nearly two decades due to his influence over voters.