Rape convict Gurmeet Singh granted 21-day furlough by Haryana Government
Chandigarh: Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Singh was released on Wednesday morning after the Haryana Government granted him a 21-day furlough. He is currently serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his disciples and is lodged at Sunaria Jail in Rohtak.
This is reportedly the 13th time since October 2020 that Gurmeet Singh has been granted parole or furlough. According to The Times of India, he has been out of jail for a total of 142 days since January 20 last year under the BJP-led government in Haryana.
Earlier this year, just ahead of the Delhi Assembly Elections, the Dera chief was granted a 30-day parole. In February, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a plea by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) challenging his repeated temporary releases. The apex court bench, comprising Justices B R Gavai and Prashant Kumar Mishra, disposed of the petition noting objections regarding its maintainability.
Gurmeet Singh, whose Dera has a significant following in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and other states, continues to face trial in sacrilege cases pending before a Chandigarh court. In Haryana, districts like Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Hisar are known to have a large number of Dera followers.
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Senthil Balaji, Ponmudy resign as TN ministers, Mano Thangaraj makes comeback
Chennai, Apr 27 (PTI): Tamil Nadu Ministers V Senthil Balaji and K Ponmudy have resigned from the M K Stalin-led state cabinet and the Governor has accepted the same, the Raj Bhavan said on Sunday.
Governor R N Ravi has approved Chief Minister Stalin's recommendation to accept their resignation, a Raj Bhavan communique said.
Senthil Balaji, facing ED probe, had been asked by the Supreme Court on Wednesday to make a choice "between post and freedom" as it warned him of cancelling bail if he did not step down as minister.
Ponmudy had courted a major controversy over his Shaivite-Vaishnavite remarks made in the context of a sex worker, drawing widespread criticism, even as the Madras High Court later initiated proceedings on its own on the matter.
Though he had been removed from a key party post, there were demands from opposition parties and other quarters, for his ouster from the cabinet.
Transport Minister S S Sivasankar will handle Electricity portfolio, held by Senthil Balaji. Further, Housing Minister S Muthusamy has been allotted Excise and Prohibition, also held by Senthil Balaji.
R S Rajakannappan has been allotted Ponmudy's Forests and Khadi, in addition to his existing Milk and Dairy Development portfolio, the release said.
Further, the Governor has accepted the CM's recommendation to include Padmanabhapuram MLA T Mano Thangaraj in the cabinet, it said. He was dropped in an earlier rejig of the cabinet.
The swearing-in of the minister designate will be held at 6 PM on Monday, it added.
