Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, serving a 20-year sentence for raping two women disciples, has walked out of Sunaria jail on a fresh 21-day furlough. The latest release will see him return to the Sirsa Dera for the third consecutive time
BY PC Bureau
August 25, 2026: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the jailed chief of Dera Sacha Sauda who is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two women disciples, has once again been granted temporary release from prison. The controversial Dera chief has been given a 21-day furlough, allowing him to walk out of Haryana’s Sunaria jail in Rohtak and return to the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa.
Ram Rahim is expected to reach the Sirsa dera soon after his release. The latest furlough marks yet another temporary break from his prison sentence and is his 17th release on parole or furlough, according to available records.
His repeated temporary releases have frequently attracted political and public attention, given his enormous following in Haryana and Punjab. In earlier instances, he was often sent to the Dera’s Barnawa ashram in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. In recent releases, however, authorities have permitted him to stay at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. The latest visit will be his third consecutive stay at the Sirsa headquarters.
Ram Rahim was convicted in 2017 by a special CBI court for raping two women disciples at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in each case, with the sentences ordered to run consecutively, resulting in an effective 20-year prison term.
His conviction brought down one of the most powerful religious figures in the region. The verdict triggered widespread violence in Haryana and Punjab in August 2017, leaving several people dead and many others injured.
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Despite his imprisonment, Ram Rahim has been granted repeated parole and furloughs over the years. The frequency and timing of these temporary releases have repeatedly generated controversy, particularly because of his substantial political influence and large follower base across Haryana, Punjab and neighbouring states.
His latest 21-day furlough is therefore likely to renew questions over the rules governing temporary release of convicted prisoners, the discretion exercised by authorities and the circumstances in which repeated paroles and furloughs are granted to high-profile inmates.
Apart from the rape convictions, Ram Rahim is also serving a life sentence in the murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh. He was separately convicted in the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who had reported allegations against the Dera.
The latest release once again puts the spotlight on the prison administration’s furlough and parole regime and the special scrutiny surrounding temporary releases granted to high-profile convicts.
