Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, convicted in a rape case and serving a 20-year jail term, will get a 20-day parole ahead of the assembly elections in Haryana. Ram Rahim may be released from jail tomorrow morning. This would be his tenth parole in the last two years.

Sources said the Haryana government had granted him parole after getting approval from the Election Commission.

Ram Rahim was convicted in 2017 for raping two of his women disciples at his ashram in Haryana’s Sirsa.

Earlier today, the Congress, flagging his possible release, had written to the Election Commission, contending that it would be a violation of the Model Code of Conduct which is in place ahead of the election. 

Over the years, as a local religious leader, he has garnered mass following and there is concern that his release ahead of the election is may act as a catalyst in what the party expects to be a close fight. 

Haryana’s ruling BJP has been in power for a decade and is hoping to win its third consecutive term. 

Going by the results of the Lok Sabha election, it has its task cut out – the Congress had won five of the state’s 10 seats, up from zero.  

Ram Rahim’ release from jail  on parole happens inevitably ahead of the elections, may in the Congress said off the record, pointing out that he was released ahead of polls in 2019 and in January this year before the Lok Sabha election. 

Last year, he was released thrice – for 21 days in November (before the Rajasthan election), and 30 days in July and 40 days in June (before panchayat elections in Haryana).

In 2022, he was released for 40 days in October before an assembly bypoll. He was also released for 21 days in February, days before the Punjab election.

This time, the Election Commission had said that while the final decision was Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, it had laid down some conditions that included his staying out of Haryana Harya and political activities during parole.