Gurmeet Ram Rahim, 4 others acquitted in Dera manager murder case

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

The HC allowed an appeal filed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim against his conviction.

The other accused in the case were Avtar Singh, Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh and Sabdil Singh, however, one of the accused passed away during the trial.

A CBI court in Panchkula had convicted the self-styled godman in 2019, in connection with two murder cases related to the killing of a journalist, Ram Chander Chhatrapati, and former Dera manager Ranjit Singh.

The court handed Ram Rahim and four others life imprisonment in the case on October 18, 2021, imposing a fine of Rs 31 lakh on the Dera chief.

While the Dera chief had challenged all convictions before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, his appeal in the journalist murder case is pending.

Ram Rahim is currently serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples and is lodged in Rohtak's Sunaria jail.

Ranjit Singh, the former manager of Dera Sacha Sauda was shot dead in 2002. 

Recently, the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed Ram Rahim to surrender and asked the Haryana government not to consider granting him further parole without its permission.