17 Paroles for a Convict Vs 5 Years in Jail Without Trial

Hundreds of thousands of Indians are behind bars as under-trials; the charges against them have not been established in courts of law. But there is at least one privileged person who has been convicted of heinous crimes like rape and murder who has frequently been granted parole or furlough. He is 60-year-old Baba Ram Rahim who set up the Dera Sachcha Sauda and who has been allowed to stay out of prison for temporary periods on 17 occasions since October 2020. The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear the bail petitions of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam on 27 August 2026. Both are in their 30s and have been behind bars as under-trials for over five years.