Eight years, 15 paroles: Impossible to ignore pattern of paroles for Gurmeet Singh
Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Singh, convicted of raping two of his disciples and serving a life sentence for the murder of a journalist, has once again been granted parole, this time for 40 days. Approved on January 3, this marks the 15th temporary release he has received since his first conviction in 2017.
The pattern is by now impossible to ignore. Parole after parole, furlough after furlough, the man sentenced to 20 years for rape and life imprisonment for murder has spent a significant portion of his sentence outside prison walls. His latest release will see him stay at the headquarters of his Sirsa-based organisation, a familiar arrangement from previous paroles, including earlier stints at Dera ashrams in Uttar Pradesh.
This is not an isolated administrative decision but part of a long and troubling sequence. In August last year, he was granted another 40-day parole. Before that came a 21-day furlough in April, a 30-day parole in January ahead of the Delhi assembly elections, and a 20-day parole in October just before Haryana went to the polls. Go further back and the pattern repeats itself with striking regularity, relief timed uncomfortably close to elections, public campaigns, or politically sensitive moments.
Each release has been defended as being “within the rules.” But when rules begin to function only for the powerful, legality stops being a shield and becomes an indictment. Ram Rahim is not an undertrial or a first-time offender. He is a convicted rapist and murderer whose crimes led to violence, deaths, and long-lasting trauma. The question is no longer whether parole is technically permissible, but whether the spirit of justice is being systematically hollowed out.
Dera Sacha Sauda’s large and politically relevant following across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and neighbouring states is an open secret. Districts like Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar, and Kurukshetra have repeatedly seen the group’s influence reflected in electoral calculations. Against this backdrop, repeated paroles begin to look less like humanitarian considerations and more like transactional governance.
For survivors, journalists, students activists and ordinary citizens, the message is chilling. Sentences handed down by courts appear negotiable. Justice seems elastic, strict for some, endlessly flexible for others. Every parole chips away at public faith in the criminal justice system and reinforces the belief that power, not principle, determines outcomes.
At some point, the question must be asked plainly: if a man convicted of rape and murder can step out of jail again and again with clockwork regularity, what does a life sentence actually mean in this country?
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
