The Hindu carries full-page ad defending Ram Rahim. Why?
New Delhi: In June this year, The Hindu published an infographic articlestating that Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had spent approximately 13.5 per cent of his jail sentence outside jail. In an ironic twist, the same newspaper, on Saturday, September 12, published a full-size page advertisement titled “What is Dera Sacha Sauda? (Facts vs Fiction).”
Ram Rahim, the 59-year-old godman, is convicted of raping two female disciples. He was sentenced by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court to 20 years in prison. It is this sentence that he serves.
Murder-rape-castration and more… criminal diary of Ram RahimHe is also charged with murder, cheating, criminal conspiracy and intimidation under the Indian Penal Code (now BNS). In one case, he was acquitted, and one is ongoing.
In 2019, he was also convicted of murdering journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. Chhatrapati was a journalist who ran Poora Sach
Even though a Special CBI Court convicted the godman 15 years later, the Punjab and Haryana High Court overturned that conviction.
In the same year as Chhatrapati’s killing, Ram Rahim was charged with the murder of Ranjit Singh, one of the brothers of the rape survivors. He was acquitted.
He is also charged with the castration of around 400 followers, claiming it would bring them “closer to God”. The FIR was lodged in 2015, naming him and two doctors who helped him. CBI is investigating the case.
In July this year, the CBI informed a special court that it had been unable to trace one of the alleged victims, who is a prosecution witness in the case, hampering its efforts to secure his appearance in the trial against Ram Rahim Singh and the two doctors.
A whitewash affair, India’s leading newspapersAlong with The Hindu
“Was there a conspiracy against Guru Ji?” reads the content, before answering, “Yes, absolutely.” It claims that false witnesses were “lured by the greed of money” to frame him.
Ram Rahim is currently out on a 21-day furlough. Questions have been repeatedly raised about his furloughs and paroles, but the judiciary fails to provide clarity.
The advertisement asks whether his 16 paroles amount to VIP treatment, to which it responds: “No, not at all.” It further states that his parole and furloughs “have been upheld by the Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court”.
“7.5 crore people freed from addiction,” “35.40 crore trees planted,” “33.85 lakh units of blood donated,” “22 Guinness World Records”- the more you read, the glossier he emerges. These are the organisation’s own figures, presented as fact, with no attribution or corroboration.
All this without any proof or fact.
Why? The Hindu gets bashedMany, including Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) alumni, have lambasted former editor-in-chief N Ram and Director of The Hindu Group, Malini Parthasarathy, questioning their decision to give prominent advertising space to an organisation led by a convicted rapist.
“I am an alumnus of ACJ, where you serve as a trustee and have spoken at length about ethics in journalism. You are also the director of The Hindu group. I would like to hear from you why The Hindu carried an advertisement by a convicted rapist,” vented out senior reporter Piyush Rai.
Nilanjana Roy, author and columnist at Financial Times magazine, also condemned the advertisement.
This is@the_hindu, allowing a convicted rapist to blame victims in its pages. Why was this ad cleared? @nramind
The rehabilitation of rapists is everyone’s favourite pastime. Across the media, across the supposedly liberal world, among editors, filmmakers, lawyers, artists, and writers: victims and survivors are blamed, harassed, or ignored.
“This is VERY disappointing…coming from the venerable @the_hindu /Lure of lucre? Trust there will be some deep navel-gazing within the sanctum in Kasturi building @nramind @MaliniP,” said Uday Krishna
When many hesitated to print the letter that accused Ram Rahim of raping the two disciples, all leading newspapers hesitated to print it except journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
In 2003, Haryana Janadesh Times
In 2017, his supporters caused riots and arson around the Panchkula court complex, leaving 36 people dead, including journalists reporting the trial. As many as 26 vehicles and three broadcast vans were burnt.
A case was registered, but all fell flat. Newslaundry reportedthat a Times of India
Then there was the Haryana Janadesh Times, which covered a February 2003 protest where women were assaulted and had their clothes torn by Dera supporters on its front page. Meanwhile, larger publications like The Tribune and Amar Ujala regularly published news against Ram Rahim and covered the protests.
While that may be legally accurate, it entirely misses the point at issue: why a convicted rapist has spent a cumulative 435 days outside prison—roughly 13.5% of his sentence—as of June 28, 2026, according to a report published by The Hindu
roughly 13.5% of his sentence – as of June 28, 2026, according to a report published in The Hindu.
Today’s Delhi edition of The Hindu carried a full-page advertisement titled “What is Dera Sacha Sauda? (Facts vs Fiction)” for the sect’s leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, a man convicted of raping two women disciples by a CBI court in 2017, sentenced to 20 years in prison, and currently out on a 21-day furlough. Dainik Bhaskar
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