‘Facts vs fiction’: The Hindu’s full-page ad for rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim

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’s Delhi edition ran an identical advertisement in Hindi.

In a small font at the bottom of the page, The Hindu tucked in a disclaimer that reads: “The Hindu has no editorial or journalistic involvement in the creative and shall not in any manner be liable/responsible for the content published, including the views/opinions expressed herein. Only for representation purposes.” Dainik Bhaskar’s Hindi disclaimer says much the same.

Despite the disclaimer, let’s be clear about who this advertisement is talking about. Ram Rahim was convicted of rape by a CBI court on August 25, 2017. About a year and a half later, he was also convicted of murdering journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, the editor who dared to publish the anonymous letter accusing him of rape in 2002 when every other newspaper flinched. Seven years later, however, the Punjab and Haryana High Court overturned that conviction. He was also convicted, then acquitted, of the 2002 murder of Ranjit Singh, the brother of one of his rape survivors. Meanwhile, he is separately facing prosecution over allegations that he orchestrated the castration of around 400 followers in connivance with doctors, claiming it would bring them “closer to God”. According to a July 2026 Hindustan Times report, the CBI told the court it couldn't trace a key prosecution witness in the castration case.

None of this obviously appears in the advertisement. It’s built entirely as a set of rhetorical questions with the answers pre-loaded: “Was there a conspiracy against Guru Ji?” Answer: “Yes, absolutely.” It claims false witnesses were “lured with the greed of money” to frame him. It asks whether his sixteen paroles amount to VIP treatment. Answer: “No, not at all.” It informs readers that his parole and furlough “have been upheld by the Hon'ble Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court”. Although this is true as a legal fact, it’s entirely beside the point of 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 in The Hindu. 

There are numbers, too, in the advertisement that arrive without an ounce of scrutiny: 7.5 crore people “freed from addiction,” 35.40 crore trees planted, 33.85 lakh units of blood donated, 22 Guinness World Records. These are the organisation's own figures, presented as fact, with no attribution or corroboration. 

Suffice to say, users on social media have expressed their objection to The Hindu’s decision to publish a full-page advertisement on behalf of a convicted rapist.

Newslaundry’s own reporting has tracked what Ram Rahim’s followers actually did to journalists. When the 2017 rape verdict came down, devotees rioted around the Panchkula court complex, leaving 36 people dead. Reporters covering the trial were among the first targets – vehicles and equipment belonging to 37 journalists were damaged, with 26 vehicles and three broadcast vans burnt outright. The Haryana government promised compensation within a week. Three years later, Newslaundry found, none of it had materialised, and in fact, a Times of India reporter whose car was torched said he had simply given up expecting to be paid.

It is also worth remembering who actually took Ram Rahim on when it mattered. Back in 2002-03, the small Haryana press carried the fight virtually alone, including publications like Chhatrapati’s own Poora Sach or Lekha-Jokha in Fatehabad, whose office and press were burnt down for reprinting it. 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.

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