A public interest litigation (PIL) calling for cancellation of the 40-day regular parole granted to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was тАЬdismissed as withdrawnтАЭ by the Punjab and Haryana High Court Monday. тАШDismissed as withdrawnтАЩ means the petitioner has withdrawn the case and it stands closed.
The matter came up for hearing before a division bench of Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha and Justice Arun Palli. The petitioner, advocate H C Arora, had also sought directions to YouTube and other platforms to delete videos uploaded by the Dera chief.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim was released from Sunaria jail in Rohtak on a 40-day parole on October 15. He is serving a 20-year prison term after being convicted in 2017 for raping two disciples in his Sirsa ashram. In 2019, he was convicted for the murder of a journalist and in 2021 he was convicted for the murder of a manager of his dera.
Arora, in his plea, submitted that the grant of regular parole to the Dera chief was in violation of provisions of the Haryana Good Conduct of Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act. тАЬThe respondent Gurmeet Singh alias Baba Ram Rahim is regularly conducting online/virtual satsang from his Dera in Bhagpat, UP, and is addressing his followers all over the world. He has also released a video of his new song titled тАШSadi Nit DiwaliтАЩ and uploaded it on YouTube. All these activities are resulting in a serious threat to peace in the neighbouring state of Punjab where people opposed to Ram Rahim are sitting on dharnas outside тАШNam Charcha GharsтАЩ,тАЭ Arora argued before the high court.
On Monday, as proceedings were initiated in connection with the case, the State of Haryana filed an affidavit saying it will decide on a representation submitted by Arora on the matter on October 29 this year.
Speaking to media persons outside the court, Arora said that as per the Haryana governmentтАЩs affidavit, they will decide on his representation in a weekтАЩs time. The matter was thus ordered to be dismissed as withdrawn by the high court.
