The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday, 26 May strongly condemned the latest parole granted to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, accusing both the Haryana government and the Centre of applying blatant double standards in the treatment of prisoners and in handling sacrilege-related cases. Ram Rahim, currently serving his sentence at Sunaria jail in Rohtak, Haryana, was recently granted 30 days of parole — a move that has drawn sharp and sustained criticism from the apex Sikh religious body.

SGPC's Core Allegations

SGPC committee member and senior advocate Bhagwant Singh Sialka said the repeated extension of parole to the Dera chief had deeply wounded Sikh religious sentiments. He argued that granting parole — time and again — to a person whose name has surfaced in investigations linked to the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib, and who is serving sentences in serious criminal cases including rape and murder, raises grave questions about the intentions of both state and central authorities.

Sialka alleged that Ram Rahim and several associates connected to his dera had featured in sacrilege-related probes, yet governments continued to extend what he described as special treatment. He also claimed that political parties which had previously targeted the Akali Dal on related issues were now conspicuously silent or lenient in Ram Rahim's case.

Allegations of Legal Manipulation

The SGPC leader further alleged that the transfer of cases linked to Ram Rahim from Faridkot to Chandigarh was part of a deliberate strategy. According to Sialka, special legal provisions were put in place and even sentencing rules were reportedly altered to benefit the Dera chief — privileges, he stressed, that ordinary prisoners do not receive.

The Bandi Singhs Issue

Calling the situation a clear case of 'double standards', Sialka pointed to the plight of several Bandi Singhs — Sikh prisoners who, according to the SGPC, have already completed their sentences yet remain incarcerated. He specifically referenced Balwant Singh Rajoana and other Bandi Singhs, reiterating that the SGPC would continue its struggle for their release.

Sialka confirmed that the matter had been raised with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, but said no concrete decision had been taken so far. The SGPC's criticism underscores a long-running tension between Sikh religious institutions and successive governments over what the committee perceives as selective application of the law.

Broader Context

This is not the first time Ram Rahim's parole has sparked controversy. The Dera Sacha Sauda chief was convicted in 2017 for the rape of two female followers and later in connection with a murder case. Each parole granted since his conviction has triggered protests from Sikh groups who argue that the state's leniency toward him stands in stark contrast to the prolonged detention of Sikh political prisoners. The latest grant of parole continues that pattern, and with assembly election cycles in Haryana and Punjab always a factor in political calculations, the SGPC's charge of vote-bank considerations is unlikely to fade quickly.