HC disposes plea against Ram Rahim furlough: ‘not a hardcore prisoner’

The Haryana government had granted 21-day furlough — from February 7 till February 27 — to Gurmeet Ram Rahim who is serving a 20-year term for raping two women disciples at his ashram and life term for murdering a journalist. He is lodged in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail. His release had come days ahead of February 20 Assembly polls in Punjab, where the sect he heads has a large number of followers.

Paramjit Singh Saholi, a Patiala resident who contested the February 20 Punjab polls, had moved the HC challenging furlough to Ram Rahim’s furlough in derogation of Section 5-A of the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 1988, on account of his being a hardcore prisoner and his not having completed five years imprisonment with effect from date of conviction dated August 28, 2017 and conviction dated January 17, 2019. It was contended that in the circumstances, release of Ram Rahim on furlough is in derogation of the mandatory provisions of law, therefore, and was liable to be set aside.

The Haryana government, represented by Advocate General Baldev Raj Mahajan, had taken the stand stand that Ram Rahim was not a hardcore prisoner.

In his reply placed before the High Court, the Superintendent of Rohtak Jail had submitted that the Ram Rahim does not fall in any of the categories of hardcore prisoners and all the assertions made by the petitioner in this regard are incorrect and without any basis.