Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, 4 Others Acquitted In Ranjit Singh Murder Case By High Court
Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim and four others in the murder case of Dera manager Ranjit Singh. A special CBI court in 2021 had sentenced Ram Rahim and other accused to life imprisonment for Singh’s murder. The recent High Court decision overturns the previous ruling. Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who is also serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, is currently lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak, Haryana.
Singh, who was also a follower of the sect, was shot dead on July 10, 2002, at Khanpur Kolian village in Haryana’s Kurukshetra. He was murdered for his suspected role in the circulation of an anonymous letter, which narrated how women were being sexually exploited by the sect head at the Dera headquarters.
After his conviction by the CBI court in Panchkula, the sect chief appealed to the High Court.
The other accused in the case were Avtar Singh, Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh and Sabdil Singh. One of the accused passed away during the trial.
The Dera chief had challenged all the convictions before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. However, his appeal in the journalist murder case is pending.
