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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsNo single cause explains it. Reporting on Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and his organisation, Dera Sacha Sauda, points to a cluster of overlapping forces: spiritual hope, a sense of identity and belonging, practical services, and protection from social exclusion. In some settings, caste and class discrimination and gaps in public welfare make those things more valuable. Political parties then have reason to court leaders whose followers also vote. None of this applies identically to every devotee or every godman, and the size of a following is a separate question from whether its leader has been held to account.
What a dera is, and why the word matters
Al Jazeera describes a dera as a spiritual and social-welfare organisation built around a leader who commands the trust and devotion of followers. That is a useful description of the institution, but it should not be assumed to fit every dera in the same way. The reporting cited here concentrates on Dera Sacha Sauda, so its details describe that organisation first and the wider category only by inference.
“Godman” is also a loose label. It names a person, while a dera is an organisation, and the two are not interchangeable. A 2023 academic abstract recorded in the University of North Bengal repository examines Indian godmen through a socio-legal and gender lens, covering gender dynamics, legal challenges and the state’s duty to safeguard people. The abstract sets out the study’s scope; it is not a substitute for the full article or for case-specific evidence.
Why people follow: hope, services and belonging
Spiritual authority and hope
Some followers believe a guru can help them reach God or have their wishes fulfilled. Al Jazeera places such beliefs alongside the psychological and spiritual comfort people say they find in a leader. A Scroll commentary also describes devotion directed at a living figure and the divine authority some followers attribute to such leaders. These are follower perspectives. They explain why the belief matters to adherents; they do not establish that the supernatural claims behind it are true.
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Services, security and belonging
In a 2017 account carried by CNA/TODAY, Shashi Tharoor argued that Dera Sacha Sauda met material and social needs. The services he listed were food, education, employment through the organisation’s enterprises, help with addiction, identity, standing and security, and he treated belonging as central to its appeal. Al Jazeera separately reported community kitchens, subsidised household items and lower-cost education at deras.
Two cautions apply. These are descriptions of one organisation’s reported activities, and the reporting does not say that every follower used every service. The reporting also suggests these services carry more weight in settings where public welfare has gaps, a point the next section develops.
Caste, class and who the deras reach
The most specific demographic claim in the reporting comes from Ronki Ram, a professor at Panjab University, whom Al Jazeera quoted in 2017: “In a society like India, which is hierarchical in terms of caste and religion, the people who belong to lower castes and class mostly go to deras.” In Ram’s account, lower-caste and lower-class people formed the majority of attendees, and he put their share at nearly 80 percent. That is one scholar’s attributed estimate, not an official measure of who follows deras today.
Ram’s broader argument is that deras offered a space where attendees could find equality and avoid the discrimination they met in mainstream religious and social settings. Al Jazeera ties their growth to a history of continuing caste discrimination. Read this as a contextual explanation. It does not show that deras eliminate social hierarchy internally, or that all followers share the same background.
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Politics and the electoral pull
Scroll’s commentary describes politicians seeking the support or blessing of influential godmen. Al Jazeera reported that parties courted deras because their followers formed an electoral constituency. The logic is straightforward: a leader who can mobilise a large, cohesive community becomes useful to candidates, and the leader may gain visibility or influence in return.
Jagroop Singh Sekhon, a political science professor at Guru Nanak Dev University, said in an Al Jazeera report that deras act as “ATMs of vote banks”. The phrase captures the transactional point vividly, but it is one academic’s view rather than a measured statistic. The reporting does not support a claim that followers vote as a bloc, or that any particular leader decided an election.
Charisma, loyalty and the 2017 convictions
The Indian Express describes Singh as a religious speaker and performer who used films and stage appearances, a public persona that reaches beyond the conventional image of an ascetic teacher. CNA/TODAY describes intense identification between followers and the Dera. Together these help explain why followers may experience the leader and the organisation as one thing.
The same reporting makes clear that a loyal following does not settle questions of accountability. The Indian Express says Singh was convicted in two rape cases on 25 August 2017, and it describes unrest after the verdict. Those are convictions. Allegations reported in relation to other godmen are not convictions and should be described as allegations unless a court has ruled on them.
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This article does not track later appeals, sentencing or custody. The reporting cited here does not establish the current position as of October 2026, so for present-tense legal status, check the court record or an official source.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The figures in the reporting, and what each measures
Each figure carries its own speaker and date, and each should be quoted with both.
| Figure | Who gave it, and when | What it measures | What it does not show |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Nearly 80 percent” | Ronki Ram, Panjab University professor, quoted by Al Jazeera in 2017 | The lower-caste and lower-class share of people attending deras, in Ram’s account | An attributed estimate from one scholar, not an official or current demographic statistic |
| “About 10,000 deras” | Al Jazeera, 2017, reporting on Punjab state in northern India | A dated count of deras in that state | Not a current official register, and not a national figure |
| “15 years and 200 sittings” | Shashi Tharoor, CNA/TODAY, 2017 | The length of the case and the number of court sittings before the conviction | Not a measure of follower numbers or of the organisation’s size |
Comparing godmen and movements
When the question extends beyond Singh to other godmen, the reporting supports five comparison axes. The sources do not provide a consistent dataset for ranking one movement against another, so use these axes to structure a comparison rather than to rank.
Quick Recap
- Source of authority: whether followers ground the leader’s standing in spiritual claims, personal charisma or a public persona.
- Services and networks: which material services (food, education, enterprise, addiction support) and which community ties the movement offers.
- Groups reached: which caste and class groups it draws, and whether the reporting describes them as seeking equality or relief from discrimination.
- Political relationships: whether politicians seek its support or blessing, and whether the relationship is described as electoral.
- Handling of allegations and accountability: how the movement and its leader respond to allegations and legal proceedings, and what the court record says.
What the reporting cannot settle
- Current official population figures for deras or their followers.
- A representative survey of followers. Claims about motives come from reported accounts and commentary, not from measured samples.
- A cross-movement dataset that would allow one godman’s following to be ranked against another.
- The current legal position in Singh’s case as of October 2026.
- An official finding from a regulator, court or standards body on the wider phenomenon. The quotations above are interview statements from journalists and academics.
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