Gurmeet Ram Rahim Granted 40-Day Parole; Will Stay at Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa

January 4, 2026

Sirsa: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who is serving life imprisonment in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail in the cases of sexual harassment of sadhvis and murder of a journalist, has once again got 40 days parole.

During this time, Ram Rahim will remain at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa. He is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for raping two fellow sadhvis.

This will be the 15th time Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has come out of jail after being convicted in the rape case in August 2017.

Earlier, Ram Rahim had come out of Sunaria jail in Rohtak to celebrate his birthday on August 15.

Background: Convictions and Life Imprisonment

On August 25, 2017, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the sexual exploitation case of two sadhvis. He was then sentenced to life imprisonment on January 17, 2019, in the journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati murder case. In October 2021, a CBI court sentenced him to life imprisonment in the murder case of Dera manager Ranjit Singh.

Three years after his conviction, the High Court acquitted Ram Rahim in this case. Currently, Ram Rahim is lodged in Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail. He has been released from there 14 times on parole and furlough. This is the 15th time Ram Rahim will be released from jail.

Previous Paroles and Jail Releases

He was previously released on a 21-day parole in April. In January, he was released on a 30-day parole a week before the Delhi Assembly elections and stayed at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. Previously, when he was out of jail, he stayed at the Dera’s ashram in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. Soon after arriving in Sirsa, he released a video message to his followers, asking them to follow the instructions issued by Dera authorities. Although he is not allowed to gather his followers at the Dera, he can communicate with them through virtual communication.

In August 2017, a Panchkula court found Singh guilty of two counts of rape and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. The court also ordered him to pay a fine of ₹1.5 million to each victim. Following the sentencing, his supporters rioted and clashed with the army, resulting in the deaths of more than 40 people in Panchkula and Sirsa. The Dera chief was airlifted from Panchkula to Sunaria Jail in Rohtak.