Dera Chief Gurmeet Singh Seeks Parole Ahead of Haryana Polls

Dera Sacha Sauda chief and convicted rapist Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has requested a 20-day parole, just before the October 5 Haryana Assembly elections. The election department is reviewing the request under the model code of conduct. Singh has a history of paroles coinciding with regional polls.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has requested a 20-day parole, just ahead of the October 5 Haryana Assembly elections. The application, coming at a sensitive time, has been sent to the election department given the model code of conduct is in place.

Officials have asked the jails department to specify the ''emergent and compelling'' reasons behind Singh's request that justify releasing convicts on parole during election periods. Singh, currently held at Rohtak's Sunaria jail, has proposed staying in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, if granted parole.

Singh, who was previously granted a 21-day furlough in August, has a history of paroles and furloughs aligning with election periods in Punjab and Haryana. Critics, including the Shiromanu Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee and Shiromani Akali Dal, argue that justice is biased, favoring the Dera chief over Sikh prisoners who remain incarcerated despite completing their sentences.

(With inputs from agencies.)