Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, aged 56, was cleared of charges in the Ranjit Singh murder case by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday. Ranjit Singh, former manager of Dera, was murdered in 2002, following which a CBI court convicted Ram Rahim and four others with life imprisonment in 2021. Ram Raheem had challenged the CBI court’s order in the high court.
The Dera chief is currently jailed following rape charges of assaulting two sadhvis within the Dera and his links to the murder of journalist Ram Chander Prajapati, who had extensively covered the allegations of sexual misconduct against the controversial Ram Raheem.
Advocate Mahendra Joshi informed that the CBI court had awarded life imprisonment to Dera Chief and other accused. He added, “An appeal was filed against the verdict, and a hearing was done. The order was kept in reserve for the last month. The high court accepted all five appeals and set aside the verdict of the Panchkula CBI Court. The high court has acquitted,” reported PTI.
The Dera Sacha Sauda is based in Sirsa, Haryana. The organisation became known after sexual assault claims were made against its chief, leading to a CBI investigation.