Sirsa Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim seeks 20-day parole

Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has sought a 20-day parole, a request which comes days ahead of the October 5 Haryana Assembly polls.

With the model code of conduct in place, the sect chief's application for parole was sent to the election department which has asked the jails department to specify the "emergent and compelling" reasons behind the request that justify the release of convicts on parole during polls, official sources said on Sunday.

The Dera chief has sought to stay in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, during the parole period, if granted.

In August this year, Singh was granted a 21-day furlough.

At that time, Singh, who is lodged in Rohtak's Sunaria jail, during his temporary release period, had sought to stay at the Dera ashram in Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat.

In the past, some of his paroles and furloughs have coincided with polls in Punjab and Haryana and neighbouring states.

He was granted three weeks' furlough from February 7, 2022, barely two weeks before the Punjab Assembly polls.