10 years on, High Court suspends Satlok Ashram head Rampal’s sentence

Nearly seven years after he was sentenced to life in a case involving the death of his five disciples, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has suspended the sentence of Satlok Ashram’s septuagenarian preacher Rampal after taking into consideration his age and custody period.

“Having regard to the fact that the applicant/appellant as on date is aged about 74 years and has undergone substantial period of sentence -- 10 years, eight months and 21 days, we find it to be a fit case for suspending the sentence of the applicant/appellant during pendency of the main appeal,” the Bench of Justice Gurvinder Singh Gill and Justice Deepinder Singh Nalwa asserted.

Allowing Satlok Ashram head’s plea, the Bench directed him not to promote “any kind of mob mentality” and to avoid participating in congregations where there is any kind of tendency amongst “disciples” or participants to cause breach in peace, law and order.

The Bench, at the same time, warned that it would be open to the State to take steps for bail cancellation “in case of violation of condition of bail or in case applicant is found to be indulging in activities having trappings of inciting others to commit any offence”.

Rampal had moved the High Court seeking suspension of the sentence imposed on him on October 17, 2018, pursuant to judgment of conviction dated October 11, 2018, by Hisar Additional Sessions Judge, Special Court. He was convicted for murder and other offences punishable under Sections 343, 302 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code in connection with the death of five disciples.

The Bench, during the course of hearing, was told by the State counsel that the appellant was virtually trying to keep the women and others as hostage and confined them in a room “wherein condition of suffocation developed, which ultimately led to their deaths”.

His counsel, on the other hand, submitted that the appellant was falsely implicated in the present case. “As a matter of fact it is a case of natural death, as is borne out from the medical evidence in respect of all the five deceased,” the counsel contended, adding that the persons died on account of ‘asphyxia’ as per the doctors’ report. The eye-witnesses had also resiled from their statements. “All of them stated that the deceased were in fact already suffering from ailments much prior to the date of their deaths.

“While we find there are specific allegations against the applicant/appellant to the effect that he had kept the women and others captive, but there are certainly some debatable issues particularly regarding cause of death being homicidal or not. Even the eyewitness, who are relatives of the deceased, have not supported the case of the prosecution and have rather stated that conditions of suffocation were created due to tear gas shells,” the Bench observed

Ram Pal’s stronghold was pulled down by the police in November 2014 in an attempt to flush him out of his ashram. Facing contempt of court proceedings, Ram Pal was directed to be arrested and brought before the court in pursuance to the non-bailable warrants of arrest issued against him.