The Punjab and Haryana High Court overturned the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. This decision came more than seven years after his initial life sentence. However, the court upheld the findings against two other accused individuals in the same case. Despite being acquitted in this particular murder case, Ram Rahim remains incarcerated due to a separate rape conviction.
The High Court’s ruling followed a thorough review of the case’s evidence, particularly focusing on the controversy surrounding the alleged use of bullets in the crime. In 2019, a special court had found Ram Rahim and three others guilty of Chhatrapati’s murder, which had taken place over 16 years before the verdict was reached. This case garnered significant attention due to the prolonged duration between the crime and the legal outcome.
Ram Rahim has been a prominent figure since his 2017 conviction in a rape case. Despite being temporarily released from prison on 14 occasions, he has mostly resided at the Dera Sacha Sauda’s ashram in Uttar Pradesh’s Bagpat district. The religious organization, headquartered in Sirsa, holds a substantial following in various northern states, including Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan. It wields considerable influence in districts like Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, and Hisar, where its supporters constitute a significant social base.
