21-day parole issued to Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Ram Rahim

Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, will be released from prison for three weeks after being granted parole on Monday. He is expected to be released from Rohtak's Sunaria jail this evening, according to several media sources.

Since 1990, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, better known as MSG, has led the Indian social organization Dera Sacha Sauda. He is currently receiving a life sentence for the murder of his manager and follower, Ranjit Singh, as well as the rapping of two of his followers. The manager was allegedly raped in 2017, while the two women were allegedly raped twenty years ago.

Though his release has been linked to the approaching Punjab elections since his supporters have significant clout in Punjab's Malwa district, Haryana's Power Minister Ranjit Singh disputed the reports, saying the state government had nothing to do with Ram Rahim's release. The minister told reporters on Sunday that it is the inmate's legal right to be released after three years of incarceration.

Before accepting the leave, the Haryana Minister claims that his proposal was reviewed by the appropriate committee. It's worth noting that Punjab is holding its Assembly elections this month, and the Dera Sachha Sauda has a sizable following in both Punjab and Haryana, which could determine the election's outcome. Gurmeet Ram Rahim reportedly supported Congress in the 2007 election, which resulted in the grand old party's triumph.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will be released from prison for the second time. He had previously been granted emergency paroles to visit his ailing mother from daybreak until sunset on several occasions.

After being found guilty of murdering his manager, Ranjit Singh, in 2002, the Dera Sacha Sauda chief was sentenced to Sunaria Jail in Haryana. On July 10, 2002, four assailants shot and killed Ranjit Singh, a Ram Rahim disciple, in his native hamlet of Khanpur Kolian in Kurukshetra.

In 2017, he was found guilty of raping two female followers and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. One of his female followers addressed an anonymous letter to then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002, alleging that her political mentor had raped her. Singh was also accused of rapping a number of his female supporters, according to the letter.

Ram Rahim's vacation was granted weeks before Punjab's election to elect a new administration. Dera followers and supporters of Rahim Singh are said to have tremendous power in Punjab's Malwa region, with their votes crucial in determining the outcome of parliamentary and legislative elections.

On February 20, Punjabis will vote in a single-phase election to elect a new government. The poll was originally set for February 14, but it was postponed after political parties asked the Election Commission to take Guru Ravidas Jayanti celebrations into account.