HC questions parole given to Dera chief frequently

Widening the scope of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s (SGPC) plea against the frequent release of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim on parole/furlough by the Haryana government, the Punjab and Haryana HC asked the state to explain if such benefits are also granted to similarly situated jail inmates. Asking the state if it is maintaining parity with the Dera chief in its release of other inmates, the HC directed the Haryana government to furnish a status report regarding the decisions taken by authorities on the parole/furlough pleas of inmates confined in state jails till date. A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ritu Bahri and Justice Nidhi Gupta passed these orders while hearing the plea filed by SGPC. Meanwhile, after a 21-day furlough granted by the state government, Ram Rahim reached Rohtak’s Sunaria jail last week