Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Granted 21-Day Furlough Amid Controversy

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, a rape convict, has been granted a 21-day furlough. Singh is expected to visit the Dera ashram in Barnawa, Uttar Pradesh. This decision follows the Punjab and Haryana High Court's disposal of a petition against his temporary release. Singh is serving a 20-year sentence and is also convicted in a murder case.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been granted a 21-day furlough, according to official sources on Tuesday.

During this period, Singh will visit the Dera ashram in Barnawa, Uttar Pradesh, confirmed authorities.

The decision comes after the Punjab and Haryana High Court disposed of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee's petition against his temporary release. The court emphasized that such pleas should be evaluated without any 'arbitrariness or favouritism'.

Earlier this year, Singh had sought a 21-day furlough from the high court, which led to the February directive preventing further parole without explicit permission.

Singh, serving a 20-year sentence for raping two disciples, was granted a 50-day parole in January. Additionally, he and three others were convicted for a journalist's murder, while a recent case acquitted him in the 2002 murder of a former manager due to 'tainted and sketchy' investigations.

(With inputs from agencies.)