Written by: Express News Service
4 min readChandigarhApr 8, 2026 01:32 PM IST
First published on: Apr 8, 2026 at 01:32 PM IST
The Punjab and Haryana High Court Wednesday granted bail to Rampal, the controversial head of Satlok Ashram serving a life sentence in connection with a sedition case. Having spent 11 years, 4 months, and 20 days in prison, Rampal is now poised to be released from Hisar Central Jail-2 once the legal formalities are completed.
“The high court’s bail order will be sent to the court concerned. After that, the bail bond will be filed there. Then the order will reach the jail, following which Rampal will be released,” Umesh Kumar, Superintendent, Hisar Central Jail-2, said.
Rampal, 74, was arrested in connection with a contempt of court case emerging out of the murder of a young man in 2006, as well as a sedition case in connection with large-scale violence in 2014.
A murder, violence and contempt of court
On July 12, 2006, a young man was killed during a clash between Rampal’s supporters and Arya Samaj members at Karontha Ashram in Rohtak. A hearing in this case was scheduled for July 14, 2014, in a Rohtak court virtually from the Hisar court. On that day, Rampal’s supporters were accused of creating a disturbance, indulging in vandalism, and also assaulting lawyers in the Hisar court premises.
The Rohtak Bar Association went on strike and filed a contempt of court petition against Rampal in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Rampal failed to appear twice in that case, leading to non-bailable warrants being issued against him on November 10 and November 17, 2014. When he was still not arrested on November 17, the high court gave the police time until November 20.
On November 18, 2014, when the police began action to arrest Rampal from Satlok Ashram in Barwala, thousands of supporters surrounded the ashram from inside and outside, preventing the team from entering. This created a tense situation for several days. There were clashes at multiple places, forcing the police to use tear gas and force.
Reports emerged of the deaths of 5 women and one child inside the ashram, making the situation more serious.
Finally, on November 19, 2014, the police arrested Rampal from the ashram and sent him to jail. In 2018, the Hisar court sentenced him to life imprisonment in connection with the deaths that occurred at the ashram.
Rampal filed a bail petition in the Hisar court, but it was rejected on September 22, 2025. After that, he filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
“A total of 14 cases were filed against Rampal, out of which he has been acquitted in 11 cases. In two cases, the High Court had already suspended the life sentence. Currently, case number 428 (sedition) is ongoing against him, which involved around 1,000 people, most of whom have already been granted bail,” Advocate Kuldeep from Hisar said.
Who is Rampal?
Rampal claims to be a religious preacher and the founder of Satlok Ashram, with a following primarily in Northern India, especially in Haryana. He began his career as a junior engineer in the Irrigation Department of Haryana before leaving his job in the 1990s to pursue spiritual teaching.
He gained prominence through his growing following and the establishment of multiple ashrams. However, his rise was accompanied by significant controversy.
Despite legal challenges, Rampal retains a loyal following and remains an influential yet polarising religious figure in India.
Despite ongoing legal challenges, Rampal continues to command a loyal following and remains an influential yet polarising religious figure in India. (File Photo) 
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