In a big relief to Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday acquitted him and four other convicts in Ranjit murder case.
A division bench of High Court comprising Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Lalit Batra has allowed the appeals filed by Ram Rahim Singh and four others against the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court's conviction order related to the murder of Dera manager Ranjit Singh. The detailed order from the high court is still pending release.
In October 2021, a special CBI court in Panchkula sentenced all five accused to life imprisonment.
The CBI court also imposed a fine of Rs 31 lakh on Ram Rahim and Rs 50,000 on the remaining accused.
Ram Rahim had challenged his conviction in High Court.
Over 2 decades old case
In the same month, Ram Rahim, along with other accused Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, Avtar Singh, and Sabdil, was convicted for the 2002 murder of Ram Rahim's former manager Ranjit Singh.
According to the CBI, Ranjit Singh was murdered because Ram Rahim suspected him of being behind the circulation of an anonymous letter detailing the sexual exploitation of female followers at the dera. In June 2002, Ranjit Singh was summoned to the dera and threatened with dire consequences, but he refused to seek pardon, maintaining he had done nothing wrong.
Will remain in jail
Despite the relief from the court, Ram Rahim will continue to be lodged in Sunaria Jail as he is facing life imprisonment in other cases.
He has been convicted in the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and also for raping minor disciples.
