May 2026 saw another temporary release for one of India’s most controversial spiritual leaders, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh (Dera Sacha Sauda Chief). He was let out on a 30-day parole from Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail, where he is currently serving a 20-year sentence for raping two female followers and has also been found guilty of ordering the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. This 16th parole has resulted in yet another re instance of being released after a conviction (2017), raising an age-old question - "what does justice equate if a convicted criminal continues to return to the outside world while the victim(s) of their crime continue to suffer/live with the results of the crime committed against them?”
Parole is a type of conditional release from prison; therefore, parole is not, legally speaking, an acquittal. Rather, parole is a temporary release from prison under the rules of that particular institution, and it is available to people in a wide range of circumstances and for a variety of reasons. Some people who support Ram Rahim argue that he is exercising a right that is granted to him by the legal system, the law. However, the issues surrounding the controversy are not simply about legality; they encompass issues of power and how the presence of a high-profile convict with multiple serious criminal convictions continues to inform the societal perception of sexual violence against women victims.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim's journey to prison was anything but typical. He had founded a powerful spiritual organisation called "Dera Sacha Sauda" having millions as followers primarily located in Northern India and had extended his influence beyond spirituality into realms such as politics, entertainment and business. In 2017, Gurmeet was convicted of raping two female followers. This conviction was viewed as a "landmark case" as it established a precedent for holding "privileged" religious leaders accountable under our legal system. It was also viewed positively by advocates of women's rights because it represented a major success for women in India who are sexual assault survivors and experience stigmatisation, intimidation and long periods of legal proceedings after being sexually assaulted.
Almost 10 years have passed since he was first convicted of murder, and now many observers feel he has lost most, if not all, natural accountability. Since 2020, Ram Rahim Singh has been granted multiple paroles or service furloughs and has had hundreds of days outside the prison walls. More than 400 days were spent as part of his total since he'll reach only 500 days total through all types of temporary release by the start of 2026. Every time one of his parole releases occurs, there are headlines associated with the release, then there are political conversations about him with members of the community, and then he makes public appearances and retains his influence over those communities.
In all the talk surrounding his conviction, the woman who testified against him and suffered due to his actions has largely gone unnoticed. Many survivors of sexual assault do not receive as much public attention as the offender. It is not uncommon for the trauma, fear and social isolation suffered by survivors to persist long after their cases are resolved in court, and many survivors across the world suffer from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and difficulty rebuilding trust with others. While a conviction may help validate an experience, it does not erase the emotional consequences associated with that experience. The effects of an offender's repeated re-entry into society can increase levels of distress for victims who see their pursuit of justice as incomplete.
Advocates for victims of violent crime frequently refer to this phenomenon as "secondary victimisation." Secondary victimisation happens when news media coverage, institutional behaviour or public sentiment unwittingly re-injures victimised individuals. Survivors of sexual violence who have been victimised by powerful people often feel significantly greater levels of secondary victimisation than survivors of sexual violence victimised by non-powerful individuals typically do because they perceive the justice system as being more interested in the rights of the offender versus the right/need of the victim to have a sense of safety and closure. The Ram Rahim case raises an important issue regarding India's criminal justice system: how to balance the rights of the prisoner with those of the victim. All modern legal systems recognise that prisoners' rights continue after conviction. There are also valid reasons for continuing to allow prisoners to have contact with their families, to be rehabilitated, and to be temporarily released. However, to achieve justice for victims, as well as rehabilitation for prisoners, authorities must consider the emotional and social effects of their decisions on the victims of the crime.
Critics contend that giving influential convicts multiple paroles leads to the perception of unequal treatment between prisoners; ordinary citizens often question whether a less privileged prisoner would have such opportunities. Repeatedly, political parties, civil society organisations, and religious communities have challenged the frequency of parole granted to Ram Rahim in light of the severity of his convictions, particularly because it coincides with politically charged times and events from his organisation.
An additional problem is the symbolic authority of being visible to the public. The many different times that Ram Rahim has been released on parole have shown that he has continued to exert great influence over those who follow him through both verbal and physical demonstrations of presence. Although parole conditions would place limits on certain things he could do, once he leaves prison, his social and religious power does not go away. When victims witness a convicted criminal still wielding considerable power, it can be perceived as a dismissal of the injury caused by the crime that has been proven in front of the courts.
This concern is not limited to an individual. The experience of many gender-based violence survivors in India shows that even when they achieve legal justice, they do not always obtain emotional healing from that same event; therefore, achieving conviction is extremely important. However, victims must feel safe, respected and heard well beyond the delivery of a verdict; therefore, justice cannot be defined as simply the outcome of a judge or jury ruling.
In conclusion, the key issue raised by Ram Rahim’s latest parole is not whether or not he will receive a temporary parole release under the law, but whether or not the justice system actually considers the survivor's experience when deciding on these types of matters. In an equitable society that upholds justice, there should be a balance struck between protecting the due process rights of those accused of crimes, while at the same time acknowledging that victims have to carry the long-term effects of the crimes committed against them.
Ram Rahim will soon have access to 30 days of freedom, and his backers will likely https://caen.ac.uk/welcome/ celebrate his return home. The women who bravely testified against him, however, have much more complex feelings toward justice than any type of celebratory display. They will continue to live with trauma that can never be stopped, put on hold, or just set aside. So long as victim safety and welfare are just as important to these issues as are the rights of the imprisoned, the gap between the legal justice that Ram Rahim received and the injustice confronted by these women will remain. Thus, while Ram Rahim may once again walk out of his prison, there will never be a way for any of his victims to ever know true freedom.
References
- Hindustan Times: Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim released on 30-day parole.
- The New Indian Express: Gurmeet Ram Rahim granted 30-day parole, 16th since conviction.
- NDTV: Rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim gets 30-day parole.
- Times of India: Dera chief Ram Rahim walks out on 30-day parole.
- Wikipedia background page on Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh (for conviction and parole history).