Gurmeet Ram Rahim and four others acquitted in former Dera manager murder case

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on May 28 acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four other individuals in the murder case of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh. The court's decision came as it allowed an appeal filed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim against his earlier conviction.

The other accused in the case—Avtar Singh, Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, and Sabdil Singh—faced trial alongside Ram Rahim. Unfortunately, one of the accused passed away during the legal proceedings. 

Back in 2019, the self-styled godman had been convicted by a CBI court in Panchkula for his involvement in two murder cases. These cases were related to the killings of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and former Dera manager Ranjit Singh. 

On October 18, 2021, the court sentenced Ram Rahim and the four co-accused to life imprisonment. Additionally, a fine of Rs 31 lakh was imposed on the Dera chief.

Challenging all the convictions, Gurmeet Ram Rahim appealed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. However, his appeal in the journalist murder case remains pending. 

As of now, Ram Rahim is incarcerated in Rohtak's Sunaria jail, serving a 20-year jail term for the rape of two of his disciples. 

The tragic incident involving Ranjit Singh occurred in 2002. According to the CBI chargesheet, Ram Rahim suspected that Ranjit Singh was responsible for circulating a letter that exposed cases of sexual abuse by the Dera chief. 

The CBI court firmly established that Ram Rahim harbored resentment due to the letter's circulation and conspired with other accused to carry out Ranjit Singh's murder.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim's lawyers said that they welcome the high court's judgment and added that the Dera chief has complete faith in the judiciary.

Recently, the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued a directive for Ram Rahim to surrender. Furthermore, the court instructed the Haryana government not to grant him further parole without seeking its permission.