Panchkula (Haryana): A special CBI court on Tuesday reserved its order on the sentencing of DSS' Gurmeet Ram Rahim and four others in the murder case of former manager Ranjit Singh in 2002. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced by the Court on October 18.
According to police, Ram Rahim had appeared in the special CBI court through video conferencing from Rohtak's Sunaria jail. A lawyer appeared on his behalf in the special CBI court. At the same time, other convicts - Krishna Kumar, Avtar, Jasveer and Sabdil were also produced before the CBI court. Police had brought the culprits to the Panchkula district court under tight security.
Following the CBI court's sentencing in the Ranjit Singh murder case, all investigating agencies including Haryana Police, CID and IB are closely monitoring the situation in Panchkula. Several, CCTV cameras have also been placed by the police in the city.
Also read: Haryana: CBI court convicts Dera Sacha Sauda chief, 4 others in murder case
The court had convicted the Dera chief and Krishna Kumar under Section 302 (murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) while Avtar, Jasveer and Sabdil were convicted under Section 302 (murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and Arms Act of the IPC.
It was the main witness Khatta Singh, the Dera chief's former driver who had testified against the self-claimed godman. He revealed to the court that Rahim believed that Ranjit Singh was behind penning and sending letters of sexual exploitation of women inmates to different agencies.
Ranjit Singh, the manager of the Dera Sacha Sauda Sirsa, was killed on July 10, 2002.
Currently, the Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief is serving a 20-year sentence in Rohtak's Sunaria jail for sexually abusing two women inmates. He is also sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder case of Ramchandra Chhatrapati, the journalist who broke the news of the sexual exploitations and various misdeeds in Dera Sacha Sauda Sirsa.
Also read: HC Judge Arvind Sangwan recuses himself from Ranjit murder case
