As Ram Rahim walks out again, Sikh groups: Why parole elusive for Bandi Singhs?

The development comes amid protests in Punjab by Sikh outfits demanding the release of “Bandi Singhs” and parole to Jagtar Singh Hawara, who is serving a life sentence for the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in 1995.

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj said those convicted of heinous crimes such as rape were being allowed out of jail “frequently” as if they were going on a “picnic”, while Sikh prisoners who had completed their sentences continued to remain behind bars. Gargajj said Hawara has not been granted parole yet to meet his ailing mother.

The Quami Insaaf Morcha, which has been protesting in Chandigarh and Mohali since January 7, 2023, also criticised the development.

“The contrasting treatment of Ram Rahim and Hawara has left Sikhs incensed. They are humiliating the Sikh qaum. If a qaum is humiliated, it will retort,” said Morcha convener Pal Singh France.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee executive member Gurpreet Singh Jhabbar said the development had again highlighted what he described as “two types of laws” in the country.

“On one side, the entire community wants that Bandi Singhs, who have completed their sentences, should be released. Also, Hawara should be given parole. On the other hand, Ram Rahim is released on parole/furlough for the 17th time,” he said.

France said earlier jail manual provisions linked parole to agricultural activities, while furlough was intended for circumstances such as emergencies, including damage to a prisoner’s house during rains.

“Ram Rahim gets furlough whenever he needs it. He does not have to repair his house or harvest crops,” he said.

Haryana’s current temporary-release law, however, provides for regular parole and furlough through a statutory process and separately provides for emergency parole. The Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022 lays down the procedure involving the jail superintendent, police, district magistrate and competent authority.

France contrasted Ram Rahim’s repeated temporary releases with Hawara’s pending request for parole to meet his ailing mother.

Hawara, lodged in Delhi’s Mandoli jail, was sentenced to death by a trial court in 2007 for the assassination of Beant Singh. The Punjab and Haryana High Court commuted the sentence to life imprisonment in 2010.
Hawara had applied for four-week parole in June 2025 to meet his mother. After the application remained pending, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on July 6, 2026 prescribed a time-bound procedure, directing the Mandoli jail superintendent to seek the Chandigarh administration’s comments and thereafter decide the application.

According to France, the matter has since become an exercise in “passing the buck”, with the Mandoli authorities referring it to the UT administration and the UT administration referring it to Punjab.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had earlier met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and favoured 10-day parole for Hawara. State Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring has also said parole was a legal right of the convict, while former Union minister and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu, Beant Singh’s grandson, has advocated parole for Hawara.

Kataria subsequently conveyed Punjab’s views to the Centre. The immediate outcome was an offer of two-day custody parole to Hawara, which he declined, insisting on regular parole. He had sought 28 days and objected to the condition that he remain under police escort.

“If he is eligible for 28 days, why are they offering two days?” France said. He added that the Morcha was not seeking preferential treatment for anyone but wanted “no injustice”.

Gopal Singh Sidhu, spokesperson for Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), said, “Today’s development makes it clear that we will have to struggle. Only then something will happen.”

Convicted in 2017, the many paroles of Ram Rahim

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court had in August 25, 2017 held Ram Rahim guilty on two counts of rape and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Since then, he has come out of jail 16 times.

He first came out of prison on October 24, 2020 (1-day parole); then on May 21, 2021 (12-hour parole to meet his ailing mother); February 7, 2022 (21-day furlough); June 2022 (30-day parole); October 14, 2022 (40-day parole). He was then released on January 21, 2023 (40-day parole); July 20, 2023 (30-day parole); November 21, 2023 (21-day furlough); January 19, 2024 (50-day furlough); August 13, 2024 (21-day furlough); October 2, 2024 (20-day parole); January 28, 2025 (30-day parole); April 9, 2025 (21-day furlough), August 5, 2025 (40-day parole), January 5, 2026 (40-day parole), and May 26, 2026 (30-day parole).

In March this year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Ram Rahim in the high-profile murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati in 2002. The Supreme Court, however, has agreed to hear Chhatrapati’s son’s plea challenging the acquittal.

In May 2024, the Dera chief and four others were cleared in the killing of former sect manager Ranjit Singh, with the court citing flaws in the investigation. Ram Rahim is facing another case for allegedly being involved in enforcing the castration of hundreds of his followers. He has denied the charges. In October 2018, the Panchkula CBI court granted him bail.

In October, 2024, the Supreme Court lifted an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court that stayed the trial of the Dera chief in three cases from 2015 related to the alleged sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy text of the Sikhs.