In a major legal development, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday acquitted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
The ruling came more than seven years after a special Central Bureau of Investigation court had convicted the controversial spiritual leader and sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2019.
Ram Rahim’s lawyer, Jitender Khurana, confirmed that the High Court set aside the conviction in the journalist’s murder case.
Conviction of Four Accused Overturned
Apart from Ram Rahim, three other accused — Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal — were also convicted by the special CBI court in 2019.
They had been found guilty under Sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code for the killing of Chhatrapati.
The High Court, while hearing the appeal filed against the verdict, recently reserved its judgment before delivering the final decision that overturned the earlier conviction.
Journalist Shot After Publishing Allegations
Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who ran the newspaper Poora Sach, was shot outside his home in Sirsa, Haryana, in October 2002.
The attack reportedly took place after his newspaper published an anonymous letter accusing the leadership of Dera Sacha Sauda of sexually exploiting female followers.
Chhatrapati sustained serious injuries in the shooting and later died in hospital.
Case Handed Over to CBI
Following the murder, Chhatrapati’s family approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2003 seeking an independent investigation.
The court later transferred the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation, which filed a chargesheet in July 2007.
The investigation eventually led to the conviction of Ram Rahim and the other accused by a special CBI court in 2019.
Ram Rahim Still in Jail
Despite the acquittal in the murder case, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will continue to remain in prison.
The Dera chief is currently serving a 20-year jail sentence after being convicted in 2017 for raping two of his disciples.
Following that verdict, he was lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak, Haryana, where he remains incarcerated.
The High Court’s latest ruling has revived debate over the long-running case, which has remained one of the most controversial legal battles involving the Dera Sacha Sauda chief.
