SC Seeks Ram Rahim’s Word On CBI Appeal

New Delhi: In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine the CBI's appeal against the acquittal of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four others in the 2002 murder of Ranjit Singh, a former manager of the sect.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on May 28, 2024, acquitted Singh and others in the case, observing the probe was "tainted and sketchy". Media trials must not make objective evaluations of the evidence on record, the high court held further.

Sirsa-based Singh, who is serving a 20-year jail term for allegedly raping two of his disciples, is currently lodged in Sunaria Jail in Rohtak, Haryana. He was also awarded life-term imprisonment for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, which will commence after the completion of his current sentence. Singh in the past grabbed headlines for securing parole multiple times.

On Friday, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar issued notices to the five acquitted persons including Singh.