Opposition parties on Monday launched a sharp attack on the government and the justice system over the repeated grant of parole to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, while activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam continue to remain in jail without bail despite not having faced trial. Leaders pointed out the stark contrast between the treatment of a convicted criminal and undertrial prisoners, calling it deeply troubling and unjust.
Ram Rahim, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for the rape of two of his followers, was released from Sunaria jail in Rohtak after being granted a 40-day parole. This marks the 15th time he has been temporarily released since his conviction in 2017. According to his aides, he will stay at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa during this period. His repeated paroles have once again triggered political outrage, especially in light of the continued incarceration of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
Reacting strongly, CPI(M) MP John Brittas said the long-accepted legal principle that “bail is the rule and jail is the exception” was being applied selectively. He pointed out that Umar Khalid has been in prison for over five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, even though his trial has not yet begun. Brittas argued that prolonged pre-trial detention amounts to punishment without conviction, which goes against the basic principles of justice.
Brittas contrasted Khalid’s situation with that of Ram Rahim, noting that while one individual has been imprisoned indefinitely without trial, the other, despite being convicted of rape and murder, has repeatedly walked out of jail on parole. He described the situation as deeply unfair, suggesting that the system appears to favour certain individuals while others are left to languish behind bars.
CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby also criticised the Supreme Court’s refusal to grant bail to Khalid and Imam, calling the decision shocking. He questioned the court’s observation that continued detention had not crossed constitutional limits, arguing that spending five years in jail without trial was a clear violation of the fundamental right to life and personal liberty. Baby said the contrast with Ram Rahim’s frequent paroles was shameful and unacceptable.
In a separate statement, the CPI(M) accused the government of using stringent laws such as the UAPA to suppress dissent and silence critical voices. The party said prolonged pre-trial incarceration violated natural justice and reiterated its demand for the release of what it described as political prisoners. It stressed that denying bail for years without trial undermines the democratic framework and the rule of law.
Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha also raised serious concerns, saying the decision prompted troubling questions about when constitutional safeguards actually come into effect. He remarked that the prevailing judicial approach seemed to suggest that even five years in jail was not considered excessive, and that delays in trial were not being treated as constitutionally unacceptable.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court had refused bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam but granted bail to five other accused in the same case. The court cited a “hierarchy of participation,” stating that not all accused stood on the same footing. The case relates to the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots, in which 53 people were killed and more than 700 were injured.
When questioned about Ram Rahim’s parole, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini declined to comment, saying the matter was before the courts, and abruptly ended the press conference. Ram Rahim was also convicted in 2019 for the murder of a journalist, a crime committed more than 16 years earlier. Despite these convictions, he has frequently been granted parole or furlough, often coinciding with election periods in states such as Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi.
The repeated temporary release of Ram Rahim has drawn criticism in the past as well, including from Sikh organisations, which have questioned the timing and frequency of his paroles. The latest episode has once again highlighted what opposition leaders describe as a glaring double standard in the justice system, where a convicted rapist and murderer is repeatedly released, while undertrials accused in a conspiracy case remain jailed for years without trial.
