Supreme Court paves the way for trial in sacrilege cases against dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh

The Supreme Court on Friday paved the way for the trial in the 2015 sacrilege cases involving Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh as it lifted the stay ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on his trial.

A Bench led by Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Vishwanathan asked the dera chief to respond to the Punjab Government’s petition against the high court’s order and posted the matter for further hearing after four weeks, saying it required scrutiny.

Lifts HC stay

The order came after Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh urged the SC to vacate the HC order staying the trial in three cases registered at the Bajakhana police station in Faridkot. The SC lifted the stay.

The order came after Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh urged the top court to vacate the high court order staying the trial in three cases registered at the Bajakhana police station in Faridkot. On February 28, 2023, the Supreme Court ordered shifting of the trial in three cases against Gurmeet Ram Rahim and seven others in connection with the 2015 Bargari sacrilege incident from Faridkot to Chandigarh in view of a heightened threat to their lives.

It had allowed the petition filed by the accused to transfer the trial out of Punjab after it was pointed out that Pardeep Singh Kataria, alias Raju Dhodhi — a dera follower and accused in the sacrilege cases — was killed in Faridkot in November 2022. Kataria was on bail when he was killed by unidentified assailants.

The dera chief had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging a September 2018 notification of the state government withdrawing the cases from the CBI and had sought a direction to the central probe agency to investigate these.

On March 11, 2024, the high court referred the matter to a larger Bench to determine if the consent by the state government for a CBI probe could be withdrawn at a later stage.

“Since the issues are being referred for consideration by a larger Bench, it is deemed appropriate to issue an interim direction, to balance the equities. Hence, further proceedings before the trial court against the petitioner (Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh) in the above said sacrilege cases shall remain stayed till further orders,” the HC said.

Ram Rahim is serving a 20-year sentence awarded to him in 2017 for allegedly raping two of his disciples.