Chandigarh: In a significant legal development, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, more than seven years after a trial court had sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The verdict came while a division bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Vikram Aggarwal was hearing appeals challenging the 2019 conviction of the self-styled godman.
The bench set aside the earlier judgment that had held Ram Rahim guilty of conspiring in the killing of the journalist. However, the court dismissed the appeals filed by two other convicts in the case, effectively maintaining the findings against them. The detailed ruling explaining the reasons behind the acquittal is expected to be released later.
Ram Rahim heads the Sirsa-based socio-spiritual group Dera Sacha Sauda and had been convicted by a special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2019. The court in Panchkula had sentenced him and other accused to life imprisonment for the murder of Chhatrapati.
Chhatrapati, who ran a small newspaper in Sirsa, was shot outside his residence in October 2002 and later died from his injuries. The killing drew national attention as the journalist had published reports linked to allegations of sexual exploitation within the Dera, which later became the subject of investigations.
After initial inquiries, the case was handed over to the CBI, which conducted a detailed probe and prosecuted Ram Rahim and his associates for allegedly orchestrating the attack.
Although the High Court has now cleared him in the journalist’s murder case, Ram Rahim continues to remain in prison as he is serving sentences in other cases, including convictions in rape-related matters.
The latest ruling marks a major twist in the long-running case that has remained one of the most high-profile criminal trials involving the controversial religious leader.
