CHANDIGARH, India — Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh walked out of Sunaria jail in Rohtak, Haryana, after receiving a 40-day parole, marking his 15th temporary release since a special CBI court sentenced him to 20 years in prison for raping two of his disciples in 2017. The order quickly drew fresh criticism from opposition leaders and the victims’ family, who say the repeated releases have raised troubling questions about consistency and equal treatment in the justice system, Jan. 5, 2026.
According to The Indian Express, the district administration approved the parole and Singh was expected to remain at the dera headquarters in Sirsa, Haryana, during the release period. The report also said he could address followers virtually, even though he was not permitted to physically assemble them.
Why Gurmeet Ram Rahim parole is drawing criticism again
NDTV reported that Singh walked out of jail on Jan. 5 and would stay at the Sirsa-based dera during the 40-day release. The same report noted the sect’s sizeable following across Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, which helps explain why each temporary release is treated as more than a routine prison order.
The backlash was immediate. Hindustan Times reported that the victims’ kin and opposition leaders again accused the government of giving Singh extraordinary treatment, while the dera and the government maintained the release was granted “as per the rules.” The same report said the parole was linked to the Jan. 25 birth anniversary observance of Shah Satnam Ji Maharaj, the dera’s second chief.
The legal framework for such temporary releases sits under Haryana’s 2022 Good Conduct Prisoner (Temporary Release) Act, which governs parole and furlough in the state. The government and the dera have insisted such releases are handled under the rules, but critics say the frequency of the orders has made every new parole politically charged.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim parole and the longer pattern of releases
This controversy did not begin with the latest 40-day order. By September 2024, India Today had already reported that Singh’s paroles and furloughs were repeatedly landing close to elections, including the Haryana Assembly poll period.
That pattern was visible again in January 2025, when The Indian Express reported that another month-long parole came just a week before the Delhi Assembly election, with Singh set to spend part of that release in Sirsa before moving to the dera’s Baghpat ashram in Uttar Pradesh.
The dispute also spilled into court. In March 2025, The Times of India reported that the Supreme Court dismissed a PIL challenging Singh’s repeated temporary releases between 2022 and 2024. The ruling closed one legal route, but it did little to quiet criticism over the broader pattern.
For the government, the latest order may still be presented as a legally permissible release under prison rules. For critics, it is another entry in a sequence that has made the Gurmeet Ram Rahim parole story less about one 40-day break and more about whether repeated relief for a high-profile convict has become normalized.
