Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram RahimDera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who is currently serving sentences in rape and murder cases at Sunaria Jail in Rohtak, Wednesday withdrew his petition for interim bail after his plea did not find favour with the court. Both Haryana government and the CBI opposed the petition stating that his release could lead to a law and order situation and the date of release could clash with the imminent parliamentary elections in the state.
A division bench of the High Court while dismissing the petition as withdrawn said the arguments were heard and when the court was not inclined to grant the prayer, the appellant sought to withdraw his petition. The case was listed for hearing in the morning and was heard for around half an hour. Gurmeet had approached the court last week for suspension of his sentence for a period of four weeks to allow him to make arrangements for the marriage of his foster daughter Guransh Insan.
CBI counsel Sumeet Goel earlier submitted before the court that Gurmeet is a “hardcore criminal” and while he has been convicted in two rape cases and one murder case, the trial of another case pending against him is near finalisation. His appeal in both the cases — he has been sentenced to an imprisonment of 20 years in rape cases and for life in murder case by a Special CBI Court, is pending before the High Court.
In his application, Gurmeet had said that his daughter’s marriage is to solemnised on May 10. He had claimed that he is required to perform certain customary rites and rituals as father of the woman. However, the CBI in a verification report submitted before the court said that the record available with the Child Welfare Committee, Sirsa reveals that Guransh was never legally adopted by Gurmeet and there are 17 other foster girls at Dera also. “But no such record is found which can establish any relation of father and daughter between Gurmeet Singh above and Guransh Insan, except in the record of her educational documents,” the CBI said.
The CBI further added that more than 50,000 followers of Gurmeet assembled at the Dera in Sirsa on April 29 in 2019 on the day of its foundation and in case Gurmeet is given the bail and allowed to visit the Dera headquarters in Sirsa, it will be “highly detrimental to the peace of the state of Haryana and nearby states and law and order situation may go out of hands”.
“The date of alleged marriage function clashes with the General Elections to be held on May 12 in Haryana and Delhi and May 19 in Punjab. Thus, the major chunk of administration and police machinery will be engaged in elections and it will not be possible to control any law and order situation, if created in Sirsa and nearby area of state of Haryana,” the CBI said in its report.
