Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the head of Dera Sacha Sauda and a convicted rapist, has been granted another parole, this time for 40 days. This decision comes just three months after he was given a 21-day furlough. Ram Rahim, who is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his female disciples, was released from Sunaria prison in early morning and will stay at his Dera's headquarters in Sirsa during his release. He is scheduled to return to jail on September 14.

This marks the second time in three months that the rape convict has been allowed to leave prison. In April, the state government had released him on a 21-day furlough. These releases have often coincided with important election times. Earlier this year, in January, he was released on a 30-day parole just before the Delhi assembly elections on February 5. During that time, he visited the Dera headquarters in Sirsa, Haryana, marking his first visit since his conviction. Previously, he had spent his parole time at the Dera Ashram in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had disposed of a petition against his temporary release filed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). The high court observed that the competent authority should consider the Dera chief's plea for temporary release without any "arbitrariness or favouritism". In February, the Supreme Court refused to hear a plea from the SGPC against Ram Rahim's temporary release.

Ram Rahim's conviction dates back to August 2017, when a special CBI court in Panchkula found him guilty of raping two female followers. The case was initially brought after an anonymous letter was sent to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002, alleging repeated sexual exploitation. The CBI investigated the charges, leading to Ram Rahim's conviction. In addition to the rape conviction, Ram Rahim and three others were convicted in 2019 for the murder of a journalist more than 16 years prior. However, in May of last year, the high court acquitted him and four others in the 2002 murder of the sect's former manager, Ranjit Singh, citing a "tainted and sketchy" investigation.

Evidence that led to Ram Rahim’s conviction included corroborative statements from two rape victims and their relatives, as well as adverse lie-detection test results from three of Ram Rahim's close associates. The chargesheet revealed that the CBI investigation was challenging due to Ram Rahim's influence. Despite facing threats, the victims persisted in their pursuit of justice, leading to a CBI probe ordered in September 2002.

Since his 2017 conviction, Ram Rahim has been granted temporary release multiple times. This has sparked controversy and raised questions about the frequency and timing of these paroles and furloughs, especially in relation to election cycles. Some critics argue that these releases demonstrate Ram Rahim's continued political influence, as he has a large following among Dalits.