HC allows driver Khatta Singh to depose against Dera chief in murder cases

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday allowed Khatta Singh, former driver of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, to record his statement afresh in the Ranjit Singh murder case.

A special CBI court had on September 25 dismissed a plea by Khatta Singh seeking to record a fresh statement in the murder case of Ranjit Singh.

Khatta Singh had earlier given statement against Ram Rahim Singh in 2007 but he then retracted from his statement in 2012. He had moved an application in the CBI court on September 16 to testify against the Dera head. The defence counsel in the case had opposed the plea.

In his appeal, Khatta Singh had submitted before the HC that his statement was very crucial for the cases and he had given several grounds to show his bonafide as to why he resiled from the earlier statements being under threat from Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and his henchman.

Khatta Singh also stated that the only reasons given by the special CBI judge for not permitting him to recall his statement, was that the trial of the case was pending for more than 10-years and now the case is on the final stage of argument. 

Rape convict Ram Rahim Singh is named as key conspirator in the killing of Ranjit Singh in 2002.

The special CBI court in Panchkula is hearing the cases of killing of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and Ranjit Singh.

Ranjit Singh was shot dead in July 2002. He was killed for his suspected role in circulating an anonymous letter that alleged sexual exploitation of disciples by the dera head at his Sirsa headquarters, according to the prosecution.

The journalist, Chhatrapati was shot at in October 2002 after a newspaper owned by him, 'Poora Sach', published the anonymous letter narrating how women were being sexually exploited by the sect head.