The Court ordered that after Ram Rahim surrenders on March 10, the State shall not consider his case for further parole without the Court’s permission.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday ordered that the Haryana government shall not grant any further parole to Dera Sacha Sauda Chief and rape and murder convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh without the Court’s permission [Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee v. State of Haryana and others]
The self-styled godman is presently out on parole from January 19 and has to surrender on March 10 at 5 PM. He has been repeatedly granted the benefit of parole since 2022.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji ordered that after Ram Rahim surrenders on March 10, the State shall not consider his case for further parole without the Court’s permission.
“In the meantime, the said respondent may surrender on the date fixed i.e. 10.03.2024 and thereafter the State- authorities shall not consider his case for grant of further parole till further orders without the permission of this Court. The State of Haryana shall also file necessary custody certificate to the effect that the said respondent has surrendered on the date fixed,” the Court said.
According to the data presented before the High Court today in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition, Ram Rahim was released for 91 days each in 2022 and 2023.
During the pendency of the PIL filed by Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee last year against one such parole order, the Court remarked that Haryana government still chose to grant Ram Rahim the “indulgence of parole” three times for a period of 30, 21 and 50 days.