![Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh](http://images.catchnews.com/upload/2019/01/11/dera-sacha-sauda-chief-gurmeet-ram-rahim-singh_650x400_81503912100-1_235549_730x419-m.jpg)
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh who is serving a jail term after being convicted in rape and murder cases has been granted parole for a month on Friday.
Singh has been incarcerated, since 2017, in Haryana's Sunaria jail where he is serving 20 year-term for raping two women disciples at his ashram's headquarters in Sirsa.
Earlier in February, the Dera chief was granted three weeks' furlough.
While parole means the release of a prisoner either temporarily for a special purpose or completely before the expiry of a sentence, on the promise of good behaviour, a furlough is a short-term temporary release of convicts from jail.
He was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in August 2017 for raping two women followers.
While, on October 8, 2021, the court convicted Rahim and four others in connection with former Dera manager Ranjit Singh's murder case.
Ranjit Singh was murdered in 2002 on the premises of Dera Sacha Sauda.
(ANI)