The Chief of the Dera Sachha Sauda, Gurmeet Ram Rahim was held for trial in a murder case of two people on 16 Sep in the Special CBI court in Panchkula.
The trial for the two murder cases charged against the rape convict Ram Rahim, currently serving his sentence of 20 years of rigorous imprisonment was heard by Judge Jagdeep Singh. He is the same judge who convicted Ram Rahim guilty of raping two Sadhvis of his Ashram on 25 Aug and announced 20 years imprisonment for him.
Since the case is very critical keeping n mind thousands of supporters of the Dera Chief he was not physically brought for the trial held in the special CBI court in Panchkula. He attended the hearing through video conferencing from district jail in Sunaria near Rohtak.
Strict security arrangements were made ahead of the trial and the police informed that paramilitary forces were also deployed to avoid any violence like it broke out after the court’s verdict was announced against the self-styled Godman, Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
It is alleged to have been involved in the murder of Ram Chander Chhatrapati a journalist who was probing in the rape allegations against Ram Rahim. It is said that the Ram Chander was killed by the Dera men on the orders if the Dera Chief on Oct 24, 2002. The second murder case charged against him is of Ranjeet Singh who was the brother of one of the rape victim Sadhvi.
The Sadhvi had written a letter to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, seeking justice and revealing the misdeeds of the self-styled godman. The Dera head killed Ranjit, on 10 July 2002, on the suspicion that he leaked the anonymous letter written by the Sadhvi to the PM. The letter was though later published in an evening newspaper Poora Sach.
Ram Rahim’s ex-driver Khatta Singh, a witness in one of the murder case and had given his statement against the Chief in 2007 had agreed to appear before the court. However, Khatta Singh had changed his statement in 2012 out of fear of being murdered himself. He said that “I was scared that they would kill me and my son. Now Ram Rahim behind the bars I want to rerecord my statement.” The court has said that it will decide on 22 Sep whether a new statement by Katta Singh will be taken or not.
Following the rape convict of two and two murder trials, the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim is also accused of castrating 400 of his followers in the name of devotion and religion.
The next hearing for the case will be on 22 Sep.