2002 murder case: SC seeks dera chief’s response on petition against his acquittal
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a petition challenging the acquittal of self-styled godman and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 Ranjit Singh murder case.
Issuing notice to Ram Rahim and four other accused on a petition filed by one Jagseer Singh challenging the May 28 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
A Bench led by Justice Bela M Trivedi asked them to file their responses in four weeks and posted the matter for hearing on October 15.
The high court had allowed the appeals moved by Ram Rahim and others who were convicted by a CBI Special court in Panchkula in 2021. The high court had also acquitted Avtar Singh, Jasbir Singh, Sabdil Singh, and Krishan Lal, all of whom were awarded life sentences along with Ram Rahim.
However, despite the acquittal, Ram Rahim remained in jail as he was convicted in other cases of rape and murder. Former Dera manager Ranjit Singh was shot by four assailants on July 10, 2002, at Khanpur Kolian village in Kurukshetra.
A Special CBI Court found Ram Rahim and others guilty of the murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment In 2021. It was suspected that Ranjit Singh was murdered because of his alleged role in circulating a letter that narrated how the sect head was sexually exploiting women at the dera headquarters in Sirsa.
Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati later used the same letter in a news report. He was killed soon after the report was published. Ram Rahim was also convicted on the charges of murdering the journalist.
