Chandigarh, Jan 19 (IANS): Rape convict and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who is undergoing a 20-year sentence in Haryana for raping two disciples, was granted a 50-day parole on Friday, ninth time in four years.

After the parole, he will be staying in his sect’s Dera in Bagphat in Uttar Pradesh.

His last release from the jail was in November 2023 for 21 days. He was granted parole thrice last year. Till date, he has been granted parole and furlough for 184 days.

He has been lodged in Sunaria jail since August 2017 after being convicted in rape and murder cases. He has a large number of followers in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

As per the jail manual, a convict is entitled for a 70-day parole in a year.

Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years in jail in August 2017 for raping two women.

A special CBI court in Panchkula in January 2019 also sentenced Ram Rahim and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, 16 years ago.

His conviction on August 25, 2017, had led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving 41 people dead and over 260 injured.