Chandigarh, April 9 (NationPress) The notorious leader of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, currently serving a 20-year prison term for sexually assaulting two of his followers, has been awarded a 21-day furlough by the Haryana government on Wednesday. He will be staying at his Sirsa dera, marking the second occasion since his 2017 conviction in these rape cases.

In previous instances of parole or furlough, he was not permitted to stay in Sirsa and had to reside at the Shah Satnam Ashram in Barnava, located in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh.

This marks the 13th furlough awarded to the Dera Sacha Sauda leader, who has been supported by various political figures in Punjab and Haryana for almost two decades due to his capacity to sway the votes of his followers.

Earlier in January, he received a 30-day parole.

His release is believed to coincide with the Dera's foundation day celebrations, which were established on April 29, 1948, by Baba Shah Mastana. This year, the organization celebrates its 77th anniversary.

On every occasion, Anshul Chhatrapati, son of the murdered journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, for whose killing Ram Rahim is serving a life sentence, has consistently opposed the granting of parole.

Ram Rahim is currently detained at the high-security Sunaria jail in Rohtak, approximately 250 km from Chandigarh.

Previously, the high court denied Ram Rahim's request for parole to attend his foster daughters' wedding ceremonies.

The self-proclaimed godman was sentenced to 20 years in prison in August 2017 for the sexual assault of two women. A special CBI court in Panchkula also sentenced him and three accomplices to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago. His conviction on August 25, 2017, triggered violence in Panchkula and Sirsa, resulting in 41 fatalities and over 260 injuries.