Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Aquitted in Murder Case, But Still in Jail
The Sikh sect leader still has to serve jail time in other cases.
In a dramatic court ruling, a judge at the Punjab and Haryana High Court has overturned a murder conviction against controversial head of the Sikh sect – the Dera Sacha Sauda. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was, in 2021, found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2002 murder of the then Dera manager Ranjit Singh. His four accomplices in the case have also been exonerated. Previously, the prisoner was actually able to dodge a death plea by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). So, why is the religious leader still behind bars at the Rohtak jail in Haryana?
Well, Ram Rahim Singh is doing time for two counts of rape as well as for another murder. Yes, in August 2017, the godman-turned-prisoner was convicted of sexually assaulting two lady sadhvis and then in January, 2019, he was declared guilty in the killing of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. As though, these convictions aren’t enough to keep him under lock and key, he also stands accused of coercing 400 followers into the beastly action of castration. Courtesy his many dedicated lawyers, Ram Rahim Singh has filed appeals in all these cases. And thanks to his clout and influence, he has been enjoying several long furloughs out of prison.
So what was the motive behind Chhatrapati’s murder? The pressman had published an anonymous letter in a local Hindi newspaper – Poora Sach – which mentioned that the Dera chief had been molesting several women followers. Soon after, two men on a motorbike shot Chhatrapati dead outside his Sirsa home. Anyway, with his legal coterie aiding him, Guru Ram Rahim Singh is destined to continue tasteing freedom... if only intermittently.
