The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the October 2002 murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
Ram Rahim had earlier been convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula on January 17, 2019. The trial court had sentenced him and three others to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000.
Also Read | Vehicles burnt, roads blocked: Tensions flare in Uttam Nagar after man beaten to death during Holi
However, the High Court bench led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Vikram Aggarwal set aside Ram Rahim's conviction while upholding the guilty verdict against at least two other accused in the case.
The order was delivered in open court on Saturday morning. A detailed judgment explaining the reasoning behind the acquittal is expected to be released later.
Background of the 2002 murder case
Journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati was shot at point-blank range outside his residence on October 24, 2002. The attack took place months after his newspaper published an anonymous letter that alleged sexual harassment and rape of women who had joined the dera as sadhvis. The letter had accused the dera chief of misconduct.
Following the investigation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed charges, leading to the conviction of Ram Rahim and three others in 2019. The accused had challenged the trial court’s verdict in the high court the same year, claiming that they had been falsely implicated in the case.
Ram Rahim's other convictions and cases
Despite the acquittal in the Chhatrapati murder case, Ram Rahim continues to serve a 20-year prison sentence in two rape cases dating back to 2017. He is currently lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak, Haryana.
On August 25, 2017, widespread violence erupted in Panchkula and other parts of Haryana after Ram Rahim’s conviction in the rape case. More than 40 people were killed and dozens injured during clashes between his followers and security forces.
Also Read | NCB busts cross-border drug racket from Nepal to Sri Lanka via India; arrests 5 in joint operation
In May 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had also acquitted him in the 2002 murder case of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh. Ram Rahim is also named in several FIRs related to the 2015 sacrilege incidents in Punjab, which are still under investigation.
Earlier this year, Ram Rahim was released from jail in January after being granted a 40-day parole. His temporary releases in the past have often triggered political criticism and raised security concerns.
