15th parole for Dera chief

The release on parole of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who is serving a life sentence for murder and a 20-year jail term for rape, for an astonishing 15th time since his conviction in 2017, is reflective of a flawed system.

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With this 40-day parole, Ram Rahim will have spent over 400 days out of jail. Lodged in the Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak, Ram Rahim's plea to be allowed to attend the January 25th birth anniversary celebration of the Dera's second head, Shah Satnam Singh, was approved by the Rohtak Divisional Commissioner. Earlier, he was granted parole for another 40 days in August 2025 to celebrate his own birthday. In 2025, he received parole for 30 days in January, just ahead of the Delhi elections, and a furlough for 21 days in April. In 2024, he was allowed 20 days parole on October 1, days before the Haryana Assembly polls. In August that year he was granted a 21-day furlough. He was also permitted a three-week furlough from February 7, 2022, two weeks before the Punjab Asse