Rahim Singh walks out of jail on 21-day furlough

Chandigarh: Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Tuesday walked out of the Sunaria jail in Haryana’s Rohtak after he was granted a 21-day furlough. During his temporary release period, Singh will stay at the Dera ashram in Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat.

The Sirsa-headquartered Dera sect chief was granted the temporary release days after the Punjab and Haryana High Court disposed of the Shiromani Gurdwara ParbandhakCommittee’s (SGPC) petition against Singh’s temporary release.

The high court on August 9 observed that a plea for temporary release by the Dera chief should be considered by the competent authority without any “arbitrariness or favouritism”. In June, Singh moved the high court and sought directions to grant him a 21-day furlough.

On February 29, the high court directed the Haryana government not to grant further parole to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief without its permission.

He had been granted a 50-day parole on January 19. According to the warrant for his temporary release, the Dera chief was released from custody on furlough for a period of 21 days, subject to conditions that he shall reside at the Dera’s Shah Satnam Ji Ashram in Barnawa during this period.

He will also not be allowed to visit any place not specified in the warrant without the district magistrate’s prior permission, it said.

The warrant also said that Singh would provide to the district magistrate concerned full particulars of the place where he intended to reside during the period of his temporary release at the time of his release and keep the official informed of any subsequent change in residence.

The warrant also requires Singh to keep peace and maintain good behaviour.