Punjab CM approves prosecution of Ram Rahim Singh in sacrilege cases

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday, October 22 granted permission to prosecute Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2015 sacrilege cases, just three days after the supreme court revived the trial against him.

This development follows a decision by a bench of Justices B R Gavai and KV Vishwanathan, who vacated the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the trial and directed Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to file a response. The supreme court acted on a plea from the Punjab government and will hear the matter again in four weeks.

Punjab’s Advocate General, Gurminder Singh, requested a stay on the high court’s order, which had halted the trial in three cases registered at the Bajakhana Police Station in Faridkot, Punjab. The supreme court, noting that the matter required scrutiny, issued a notice to Ram Rahim Singh.

In February 2023, the top court transferred the trial against Ram Rahim and his followers from a court in Faridkot to Chandigarh.

Recently, the Haryana government granted Ram Rahim a 20-day parole, during which he is prohibited from participating in election-related activities or leaving the jurisdiction of Haryana.

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Who is Ram Rahim Singh?

The religious leader, Ram Rahim is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted by a CBI court in 2017 for raping two disciples. He has also been convicted in two murder cases and will serve life sentences for those crimes after completing his current term.

In January 2019, Ram Rahim and three others were found guilty of murdering a journalist over 16 years ago. Additionally, in October 2021, he and four others were convicted for conspiring to kill Ranjit Singh, a manager at the dera.

Since his conviction, Ram Rahim has spent a total of 255 days outside of prison.

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