Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's troubles are far from over. Convicted and serving his sentence in prison for rape, the Dera chief on Saturday will appear via video conferencing before a CBI special court that is hearing two separate murder cases against him.
The cases, related to the murder of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and former Dera manager Ranjit Singh, allegedly carried out by functionaries and followers of the sect, will be held in the court of special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh. The final arguments in the murder case of journalist Chhatrapati are being held on Saturday.
The same court had, on August 25, convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on two counts of rape of female disciples.
Security has been tightened in Panchkula town in Haryana ahead of a crucial hearing in two separate murder cases against the Dera chief and others here on Saturday. Haryana Director General of Police B S Sandhu said on Friday that adequate paramilitary and Haryana Police personnel had been stationed around the court complex in Sector 1 here and in other areas in Panchkula town to maintain law and order.
Here are the details about the cases and Ram Rahim that you need to know:
1) A witness in the murder cases against the Dera chief, Khatta Singh, has filed an application with the court and agreed to appear before it, Singh's lawyer was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. According to the lawyer, in 2012, Singh had changed his statement, given in 2007, out of fear. According to ANI, the court on September 22 will decide if his statement will be taken.
2) Chhatrapati and Ranjit Singh were murdered in 2002. The sect chief is an accused in both murder cases as these were carried out allegedly at his behest.
Khatta Singh(witness)had changed his '07 statement in '12 out of fear: Khatta's lawyer on murder case against #RamRahim pic.twitter.com/AN4M5RD4sO
— ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2017
Now he agreed to appear before court. Filed application. Court will decide on Sept 22 if his statement will be taken: Navkiran Singh, lawyer pic.twitter.com/2bBHfBA8Rj
— ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2017
2) Chhatrapati and Ranjit Singh were murdered in 2002. The sect chief is an accused in both murder cases as these were carried out allegedly at his behest.
3) Chhatrapati, a journalist who wrote extensively about the activities of the Dera, was shot from point-blank range right outside his house on October 24, 2002, according to an IndiaToday report that details the struggle of the journalist's son to get justice for his father. (Read more here)
4) According to the report, Chhatrapati was killed months after he published the anonymous letter written by an anonymous Sadhvi addressed to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee accusing the Dera chief of rape. It was this letter that set off the chain of events leading to the Dera Chief's imprisonment. (Read more here)
5) The other case is regarding the murder of Dera follower Ranjit Singh. According to the Indian Express, Singh's family has alleged that he was killed because he was suspected of being involved in the aforementioned anonymous letter. Singh was murdered on July 10, 2002. (Read more here)
6) Police officials said that rapist Ram Rahim will not be physically produced in the CBI special court on Saturday. The hearing will take place through video conferencing as Ram Rahim is lodged in the District Jail in Sunaria near Rohtak. However, the seven other accused in the murder cases would be present in the court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh.
7) Ram Rahim was sentenced on August 28 to 20 years in jail for the rape and criminal intimidation of two female disciples.
8) The Dera chief's conviction in the two rape cases also places the odds against him. Citing sources from the CBI, an Economic Times report explained that the guilty verdict in those cases would be used by the CBI to argue Ram Rahim's antecedents. "Antecedents of an accused hold prime importance during a trial. If an accused is found to have doubtful antecedents the case against him is strengthened...," a top CBI official told the financial daily. (Read more here)
9) His conviction led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several other places in Punjab.
10) There are no reports of Dera followers assembling in Panchkula ahead of Saturday's hearing, unlike the rape case hearing where over 100,000 followers had converged in the town.