New Delhi: The Punjab and Haryana High Court questioned rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim of Dera Sacha Sauda sect enjoying frequent paroles where he should be doing time in jail.
The rape convict, who is handed 20 years in prison, was granted a 50-day parole in January seventh parole in almost 10 months and ninth over the last four years, NDTV reported.
The high court directed the state government to ensure Rahim surrendered on March 10, the day his parole ends.
Also, the government is ordered to seek the court permission in granting parole to Rahim next time.
Hearing a petition filed by SGPC, the court asked for details of how many prisoners have been given similar paroles and how many applications were accepted.
Ram Rahim was out of jail for 91 days having been released for 21 days in November, 30 days in July, and 40 days in January.
He reportedly availed the parole to attend former Dera chief Shah Satnam's birth anniversary.
A special CBI court in Haryana's Panchkula convicted Ram Rahim Singh in August 2017 of raping two women.
A pattern seems to be at work in granting parole to Rahim in as much as it occurs mostly during poll seasons.
Dera followers of Ram Rahim Singh in Punjab's Malwa region, accounting for 69 constituencies of Punjab Assembly, are seen as a deciding factor in parliamentary and legislative elections.
Dera followers, nevertheless mellowed after Ram Singh was jailed, still swarm in crores and vote under the sect leaders’ thumb.
Just days ahead of the Punjab Assembly election the Dera chief received a 21-day parole in February 2022, which a petitioner challenged in the court saying it was ‘unwarranted, illegal, untenable’.
Again in June 2022, he was out of jail for 30 days during the Haryana Municipal elections.
Four months later in October, he received another parole for 40 days before a by-election to Haryana's Adampur seat.