A special CBI court in Panchkula on Monday awarded life imprisonment to Dera Sacha Sauda's Gurmeet Ram Rahim and 4 others in a 20 years old former security manager murder case.
Gurmeet Ram Raheem, popularly known as Baba Ram Raheem is also serving 20 years sentence in rape case of two of his disciples and a lifetime sentence for the murder of a journalist.
The CBI asked court for the death penalty to the self-claimed godman under the section 302 of Indian penal code in the murder case of Ranjit Singh, the former security manager. Ram Raheem, appearing via video conferencing from Rohtak Jail, where he is serving his sentence in two cases of rapes and a murder case, pleaded for mercy.
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The other 4 accused in this case who got the punishment of life imprisonment were Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, Avtar Singh, and Sabdil, while the one accused in the case had already passed away in October 2020.
Jagseer singh , the son of the victim was pleased by the conviction of all the accused and said that his family has finally got the justice. He also added that his grandfather who had suffered the loss of his son fought the battle for the justice before he died in 2016. Jagseer was only 8 years old when his father was killed in a cold blooded murder.
"Today, after 19 years, my family can sleep in peace," he said.
Prime prosecution witness, Khatta Singh, a former driver of the sect chief, played a crucial role in the case by unfolding a conspiracy behind killing the sect manager.
Ram Rahim, 52, attended hearings relating to the pronouncement of sentence virtually. He pleaded for mercy on the plea of the charitable works that the sect carried out when he was heading it.
The self-styled godman has been undergoing a 20-year sentence at the high-security Sunaria jail in Rohtak, 250 kms from state capital Chandigarh, for raping his two disciples, and was sentenced to life for the murder of a journalist in 2002.
Ranjit Singh, a former follower of Ram Rahim, was shot dead by four assailants on July 10, 2002, at his native Khanpur Kolian village in Kurukshetra district.
The investigating agency opposed the Dera chief's plea, saying the victim treated him as "god" and the accused committed offences against him. It said Ram Rahim had criminal antecedents and committed the offence in a cold-blooded manner.
The Punjab and Haryana HC had recently dismissed a plea seeking the case's transfer to another judge.
Ahead of the verdict pronouncement, local authorities imposed prohibitory orders in the town and in Sirsa, the headquarters of Dera Sacha Sauda, in view of the violence reported after his conviction in rape cases in 2017.
Ram Rahim's conviction on August 25, 2017, in raping his two disciples had led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving 41 people dead and over 260 injured.
On January 17, 2019, a special CBI court in Panchkula also sentenced him and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago.
Ram Rahim was patronised by political leaders and parties in Punjab and Haryana for nearly two decades due to his ability to influence the votes of his followers
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