Today, On 9th September, The Supreme Court issued a notice in response to a challenge against the acquittal of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a murder case. Despite the acquittal, Ram Rahim remains imprisoned due to prior convictions for rape and conspiracy to commit murder. The notice marks a new development in the legal scrutiny surrounding the controversial figure.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court, On Monday, requested a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding a plea challenging the acquittal of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, a convicted rapist, and four others in a 2002 murder case.
A Bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma also issued notices to all five accused, including Ram Rahim. Earlier in May, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted the Dera Sacha Sauda leader in the murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh.
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Ram Rahim, along with Avtar Singh, Jasbir Singh, Sabdil Singh, and Krishan Lal, initially been sentenced to life imprisonment by the trial court. However, the High Court expressed concerns over the CBI’s investigation, describing it as “tainted and sketchy” and deeming the evidence unreliable.
This appeal to the Supreme Court filed by Jagseer Singh, the son of the deceased, through Advocate Satya Mitra, seeking to set-aside the acquittal.
The case dates back to 2002, involving the murder of Ranjit Singh, a former manager of the Dera Sacha Sauda, a spiritual organization headed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Ranjit Singh was reportedly killed after being suspected of leaking a letter written by a Dera follower accusing Ram Rahim of sexual exploitation.
This letter ultimately played a key role in the investigation that led to Ram Rahim’s conviction in a separate rape case in 2017.
Ranjit Singh’s murder occurred on July 10, 2002, in Kurukshetra, Haryana. His son, Jagseer Singh, had filed a complaint, leading to a long and protracted investigation. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case, and after extensive proceedings, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, along with four othersAvtar Singh, Jasbir Singh, Sabdil Singh, and Krishan Lal sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in 2021 for their involvement in the murder.