Punjab and Haryana HC issues notice to Haryana govt on plea against Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s parole

SGPC, through its elected member Bhagwant Singh Sialka, has pointed out that the order of temporary release of the Dera chief has been issued against “the provisions of Section 11 of the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022, and by losing sight of dangerous consequences emanating from unlawful utterings and activities of the Dera chief” during his parole period.

It has been contended in the petition that the committee has “no personal interest in the present matter” but has filed the Public Interest Litigation keeping in view of the danger of releasing Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, on parole and “thereby jeopardising the sovereignty, integrity of India and for maintaining public harmony, peace, and social fabrics in the country”.

The petitioner argued that soon after his release from jail, the Dera chief started indulging in provocative activities which may result in large-scale human rights violations in Punjab. “For instance, on January 29, 2023, while celebrating the birthday of his Guru Shah Satnam, the Dera chief cut the cake with a long sword (‘talwar’) and the photograph of cutting the cake with sword by the Dera chief was made viral in the print and social media,” the petitioner told the HC.

Stating that release of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on parole will have disastrous consequences, the SGPC said that the Dera chief claims himself to be a messenger of God and therefore, he has added the surnames of ‘Baba’, ‘Maharaja’ and is in the habit of “giving poisonous propaganda against the Holy Guru Granth Sahib Ji, which is revered as ‘Living Guru’ by the Sikhs at large”.

The petitioner has sought to issue directions for the immediate arrest of the Dera chief, and for staying the parole order during the pendency of the present petition.