Acquitted in Ranjit Singh murder case by HC

THE Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim and four others in the murder case of Dera manager Ranjit Singh.

The Sirsa-headquartered sect chief, who is also serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, is currently lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak, Haryana.

“The Honourable Punjab and Haryana High Court has changed the order of the lower court and all five people who were involved in this have been acquitted... We welcome this decision," Dera chief's lawyer Jitender Khurana said.

Meanwhile, advocate Mahendra Joshi said, “The Panchkula CBI Court had awarded life imprisonment to Dera chief and other accused. An appeal was filed against the verdict and a hearing was done. The order was kept reserved for the last month. The high court accepted all five appeals and set aside the verdict of the Panchkula CBI Court. The high court has acquitted everyone, including Ram Rahim."

In 2021, Ram Rahim and four others received life imprisonment from a special CBI court in the 19-year-old murder case of Ranjit Singh, a former manager of the Dera.

Singh, also a sect follower, was fatally shot on July 10, 2002, in Khanpur Kolian village, Kurukshetra, Haryana.

He was allegedly targeted due to suspicions of his involvement in circulating an anonymous letter exposing the alleged sexual exploitation of women by the sect head at the Dera headquarters. Following the CBI court's verdict in Panchkula, the sect chief filed an appeal with the High Court.