Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim acquitted in journalist murder case

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, more than seven years after he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Singh’s lawyer Jitender Khurana confirmed the development, saying the high vourt had set aside the conviction of the self-styled godman and the other accused in the case. “The court has acquitted him in the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati,” Khurana said.

Singh and three others had been convicted in January 2019 by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court for the murder of the journalist in Haryana’s Sirsa district. The court had sentenced them to life imprisonment, ruling that the killing was carried out to silence Chhatrapati after he exposed allegations of sexual abuse at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters.

Chhatrapati, editor of the local newspaper Poora Sach, was shot outside his residence in Sirsa in October 2002. He succumbed to his injuries nearly a month later.

The journalist had published an anonymous letter alleging sexual exploitation of women followers at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. The letter, purportedly written by a female disciple, was addressed to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and detailed alleged abuse by the sect chief.

The publication triggered widespread controversy and eventually led to criminal investigations against Singh. The murder case was initially investigated by the Haryana Police but was later handed over to the CBI following directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court amid concerns over the fairness of the probe.

After a prolonged trial, the CBI court in Panchkula convicted Singh and three others in 2019, concluding that the murder was part of a conspiracy to eliminate the journalist who had brought the allegations into the public domain.

Despite the acquittal in this case, Singh remains in prison after being convicted in other criminal matters.

In 2017, a CBI court convicted him of raping two women disciples and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. The verdict triggered widespread violence in parts of Haryana and Punjab by his followers, leaving more than 30 people dead and hundreds injured.

Singh was subsequently lodged in Sunaria jail in Haryana’s Rohtak district. He was later also convicted in a separate case related to the murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh, who was allegedly killed for his suspected role in circulating the anonymous letter that exposed the sexual abuse allegations. This conviction, too was overturned in 2024 by the Punjab and Haryana HC.

In recent years, the Dera chief’s repeated parole and furlough releases have sparked political controversy. Singh has been granted parole several times by the Haryana government, often during election periods, allowing him to leave prison for extended durations.

Opposition parties have accused the BJP government in Haryana of showing undue favour to the sect leader because of the Dera Sacha Sauda’s considerable electoral influence in parts of Haryana and neighbouring Punjab.

The Dera commands a large following among rural and lower-income communities, and its support is often considered politically significant during elections in the region.

The BJP has rejected such allegations, maintaining that parole decisions are taken in accordance with prison rules and legal procedures.

With PTI inputs