Chandigarh: With the election commission giving its permission, Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year imprisonment in Haryana’s Rohtak district jail for the rape of two of his women disciples and a lifer in a case of murder of a journalist, is all set to be out on a 20-day parole ahead of the October 5 state assembly election.
Since, the cases of parole during the imposition of model code of conduct (MCC) have to be routed through the chief electoral officer (CEO), his application for the 20-day temporary release (parole), was sent to the election department on September 28, which had asked the state jail department to explain the compelling emergent reasons behind his request.
The Dera had cited the upcoming death anniversary of Dera head’s father Maghar Singh on October 5 as an emergent compelling reason, besides the ongoing Dera celebrations of Guru Gaddi Diwas. Other reasons cited in his plea included illness of the chairman of the Dera chairman and his niece as well as the wedding of destitutes in the Dera which he needed to attend at Baghpat district in UP.
Granting permission to Haryana government late Monday evening to consider Dera head’s plea for parole, subject to the correctness of the facts cited his application, the CEO has put riders that he would not enter Haryana during his parole and that he would not be a part of any political activity, failing which his parole would be cancelled.
Meanwhile, according to media reports, the home department has forwarded the same to the caretaker chief minister Nayab Saini on Tuesday for his approval; subsequent to CM’s approval, the divisional commissioner, Rohtak, would seek a report from the district administration where the Dera head had decided to stay during his parole before allowing the parole.
In case of his release this time, it would be Dera chief’s 11 parole or furlough since his conviction in 2017 by a CBI court in Panchkula. He was also out on 21-day furlough ahead of the announcement of state assembly election in August this year.
Meanwhile, media reports said that Anshul Chhatrapati, son of the slain journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati for whose murder the Dera head is serving a life sentence, has written to the election commission (EC) urging upon it to direct the Haryana government to cancel the parole application of the Dera head as the parole ahead of the assembly polls would be a violation of democratic values, fair polls and the right to the fair polling as he can influence the voting by sending messages to his follower to a benefit a particular party.
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For record, even though the Dera head is eligible under the Haryana jail manual, his plea for parole has raised eyebrows as it coincides with the upcoming state assembly polls. The Dera, which has a huge number of followers in Punjab and Haryana also have a political wing to take decisions to side with the political parties – it has backed Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP in the past – and their leaders could be seen frequently visiting to the Dera head ahead of the polls, before 2017.