The Supreme Court’s refusal to interfere with the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order signifies the upholding of the decision to quash the criminal complaint against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan. The courts considered the historical context of his remarks and found no evidence of an intent to insult religious sentiments.
NEW DELHI: Today (14th May): The Supreme Court declined to intervene in the order that dismissed a criminal complaint against convicted rapist and self-styled godman, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The Punjab and Haryana High Court’s decision to quash the first information report (FIR) registered against him has been upheld by a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta.
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Background:
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan, currently serving a prison sentence for rape and murder convictions, faced a new criminal complaint in March 2023.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in October of the same year, quashed the FIR against Ram Rahim Singh Insan. The FIR, lodged in relation to a discourse organized in 2016, accused Ram Rahim of associating Sant Kabir Das and Guru Ravidas with liquor and a prostitute. However, upon examination, the court found no evidence of distortion or misrepresentation in the narrative related to Sant Kabir Das
The State of Punjab appealed the High Court’s decision to the Supreme Court. However, after reviewing the case, the Supreme Court bench found
no merit in the special leave petition and dismissed it accordingly.
Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta upheld the High Court’s order, thereby affirming the quashing of the criminal complaint against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
The courts based their decisions on a careful examination of the facts and legal arguments presented. The High Court concluded that the comments made by Ram Rahim Singh Insan were historically rooted and did not display any intention to offend religious sentiments. The Supreme Court, in its review, agreed with the High Court’s findings and deemed the special leave petition without merit.
Case Title: State of Punjab v. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan
