Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Monday withdrew his parole application. A senior official of Haryana Prisons Department confirmed that Singh had withdrawn his application one week after filing it, PTI reported.

Singh had filed the parole application in order to farm his fields in Haryana’s Sirsa district. After receiving Singh’s plea, the jail superintendent had written to the Sirsa district authorities for a report on whether granting him parole would be feasible. He also added that the Dera Sacha Sauda chief’s conduct had been good in prison and that he had not violated any rule.

The Sirsa district authorities had been asked to file a report to the Rohtak division, marking a copy to the jail superintendent. After receiving the jail superintendent’s letter, the Sirsa police officials approached the revenue department to figure out how much land Singh owned.

On June 25, a minister in the Haryana government said that Singh has the right to seek parole. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had also said that “anyone who is entitled for parole can seek one” while commenting on the Dera chief’s parole plea.

Parole is a system of releasing a convict with the suspension of the term. The release is conditional and is usually subject to the conduct of the prisoner, and requires periodic reporting to the authorities for a specific period of time. Singh, who has been in prison since August 2017 has technically served the minimum term to be eligible for parole, The Indian Express reported.

Singh is currently serving a 20-year prison term in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail for raping two of his followers in 2002. He is also accused of murdering former Dera manager Ranjit Singh.

In April, the Punjab and Haryana High Court denied Singh interim bail to attend the marriage of his foster daughter, citing possible law and order problems ahead of the General Elections.