The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. Singh’s counsel, Jitender Khurana, confirmed the development. The acquittal came more than seven years after a trial court had convicted Singh and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
High Court Verdict
Khurana said a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu passed the order while deciding appeals against the 2019 conviction. He added that the Bench acquitted Ram Rahim but upheld the conviction of three other convicts in the case.
Background Of The Case
The case relates to the killing of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. Assailants shot him outside his residence in Sirsa, Haryana, in October 2002. Chhatrapati later died from his injuries.
Chhatrapati’s newspaper, Poora Sach, had published an anonymous letter. The letter alleged sexual exploitation of women followers at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa. After the shooting, police registered a criminal case and named Ram Rahim as a conspirator. In 2006, authorities transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Trial Court Conviction
In January 2019, a special CBI court in Panchkula convicted Ram Rahim and three others in the case. The court sentenced them to life imprisonment. The High Court has now decided the appeals challenging that conviction.
Family To Move Supreme Court
After the verdict, Chhatrapati’s son Anshul Chhatrapati said the family would challenge the acquittal before the Supreme Court. He called the ruling a setback. He also said the family expected the CBI to challenge the High Court judgment.
Ram Rahim Still In Jail
Ram Rahim continues to remain in Sunaria jail in Rohtak. He is serving the 20-year sentence imposed on him in 2017 in the rape case involving two disciples.
Earlier Acquittal In Another Murder Case
This acquittal follows another major development in May 2024. At that time, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Ram Rahim and four others in the 2002 murder case of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh. A special CBI court had earlier sentenced them to life imprisonment in that case as well
