Ram Rahim's parole raj: 405 days of freedom for rape and murder convict

This special report from India Today's 'Postmortem' examines the frequent temporary releases of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who is convicted of rape and murder. The report details his 15th parole, bringing his total time outside prison to 405 days in eight years, a situation that makes a 'mockery of the Indian judicial system'. It questions the repeated paroles and furloughs granted by the Haryana government, whose Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini offered a terse 'Thank you' when questioned.

The son of murdered journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati, Anshul, is quoted asking, 'If the government is going to keep releasing him anyway, why pretend this is a punishment at all?'

The programme delves into the 2022 amendment of Haryana's parole laws that reclassified Ram Rahim, allowing his releases, and recounts the history of his crimes, the anonymous letter that sparked the investigation, and the violent 2017 riots following his conviction.