Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is in the category of “hardcore prisoners” for the purpose of his release on parole or furlough. I don’t come. The court of Justice Raj Mohan Singh disposed of a petition filed by a Patiala resident challenging the furlough granted to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in February.
The court pronounced this order on Thursday. The petition was dismissed as Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has already returned to jail. Dera Sacha Sauda chief is lodged in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail. He was granted a three-week furlough on February 7 to meet his family in Gurugram after the Haryana government concluded that he did not fall under the category of hardline prisoners. ‘Farlow’ is the short-term temporary release of convicts from jail.
Kanika Ahuja, one of the Dera chief’s lawyers, said on Friday that the court has held that Ram Rahim does not fall under the category of “hardcore prisoners”. Petitioner Paramjit Singh Saholi had argued that Ram Rahim had committed a heinous crime for which he has been convicted and hence he should not be granted furlough. The Dera chief’s counsel argued that he does not fall under the category of “hardcore prisoners” as he was convicted on charges of criminal conspiracy in two murder cases.
Ram Rahim is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two female disciples at his ashram in Sirsa. He was convicted by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Panchkula in August 2017. Last year, the Dera chief was convicted along with four others for conspiring to kill Dera manager Ranjit Singh in 2002. In the year 2019, Ram Rahim and three others were also convicted for the murder of a journalist in 2002. He was convicted of criminal conspiracy with his co-accused for these murders.
