Ram Rahim sentencing LIVE updates: Prosecution demands maximum punishment for Dera chief

 BT Online        Last Updated: August 28, 2017  | 14:45 IST
Ram Rahim sentencing LIVE updates: Dera Sacha Sauda chief's sentencing to be held in Rohtak jail

Haryana and Punjab continues to be on edge as special CBI judge is expected to announce the quantum of sentence against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan inside the Rohtak jail today.

Special CBI court judge Jagdeep Singh was flown to Rohtak jail in a helicopter. The judge will hand out the quantum of sentence around 2:30 pm.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a high-level meet with senior officials from police, IB and the Home Secretary. NSA Ajit Doval was also present in the meeting. The meeting comes two days after 38 people were killed in the aftermath of violence following Ram Rahim Singh's conviction.

02:40 pm: Prosecution has asked for a maximum punishment for Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim Singh.

02:30 pm: Court proceedings have begun inside the Rohtak jail.

01:51 pm: Petrol bombs, weapons seized from Dera Sacha Sauda followers in Malout.

01:43 pm: CBI judge Jagdeep Singh expected to reach Rohtak by 2:00 pm. Ram Rahim's sentencing to begin by 2:30 pm.

01:39 pm: Villagers of Shahpur Beghu near Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters have armed themselves with sticks and bricks to protect against mob of angry Ram Rahim followers, PTI reported.

01:36 pm: Police forces are continuously patrolling the streets of Rohtak with minutes left before Ram Rahim's sentencing.

01:33 pm: Ram Rahim complains of uneasiness ahead of sentence in rape case.

01:19 pm: All districts of Uttar Pradesh put on high alert ahead of Ram Rahim's sentencing. Senior Superintendents of Police given free hand to implement Section 144 in their respective districts, if needed.

12:00 pm: Special CBI Court judge Jagdeep Singh leaves Panchkula for Rohtak jail in a helicopter 

11:30 am:  No relief for self styled godman Asaram. Supreme Court refuses bail in a rape case.

11:00 am: Weapons, chains, lathis recovered from Dera premises in Sonipat.

10:30 am: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who had held Ram Rahim guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 2002, will be flown to Rohtak in a chopper today for announcing the sentence. The sentencing is expected to be announced at 2:30

10:26 am: Meanwhile, Punjab police has rounded up Dera followers at various place. 8 Dera followers have been booked in Abohar.

10:22 am: The police has launched a massive crackdown. Over a hundred Dera supporters have been taken into preventive custody in Rohtak. Paramilitary forces have been deployed near the jail complex.

10:20 am: Forces guarding the Rohtak Jail have been given shoot-at-sight orders. 10 Km area around Rohtak jail has been sanitized.

10:17 am: Ahead of the announcement of quantum of punishment of Dera chief in 15-year-old rape case, schools and colleges have been shut in various parts of Punjab and Haryana. Mobile internet services have also been suspended.

10:15 am: According to reports, there has been a huge crackdown at Dera headquarters in Sirsa. Nearly 8000 Dera supporters have been evacuated in the last 24 hours.

10:13 am: Rohtak prison has turned into a fortress as Ram Rahim faces a minimum of 10 year in jail.

10:10 am: The Punjab and Haryana high court had on Friday asked the government to seize entire property of Dera to compensate the damages done by its followers. The High Court has asked a list of its properties from the Dera.

10:00 am: In 2002, a sadhvi from Dera wrote an anonymous letter to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee saying she was raped by the Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Soon after it got reported, the Punjab and Haryana high court took suo motu cognizance of the letter and directed the Central Bureau of India to register a case against the Dera chief. Sadhi who wrote the letter was not the only victim. There were other female followers who were, Sadhvi wrote in the letter, raped by Gurmeet Ram Rahim. After Sadhvi's revelation, the CBI questioned other sadhvis as well where two of them confirmed the allegations against Ram Rahim. Those two Sadhvis later recorded their statement in the CBI court where they again reiterated the charges. The CBI slapped Section 376 and Section 506 of the Indian Penal Code on Gurmeet Ram Rahim.