Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail after being convicted in cases of rape and murder, has been granted furlough for 21 days from February 7 till February 21. He has been granted the furlough by the Haryana government’s jail administration.

The dera chief will be released from jail on Monday after which he is expected to go to the organisation’s headquarters in Sirsa.

He has been released from jail thrice before on various grounds, including for getting a medical checkup and to meet his mother.

Haryana’s Power Minister Ranjit Singh told reporters that the state government had nothing to do with granting parole or furlough to a jail inmate, The Indian Express reported.

“It is the legal right of the convict, who becomes eligible to seek parole/furlough after he has completed three years of conviction. Like other inmates, Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s request application was also examined by the requisite committee that deals with such cases and his request was allowed,” said the minister.

The dera has a large number of followers in the poll-bound states of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.