Haryana court to pronounce verdict on Sant Rampal's conspiracy case

Hisar (Haryana) [India], August 29 (ANI): A Haryana court will today pronounce its verdict in an 11-year-old conspiracy case involving self-styled god man Sant Rampal, who was arrested in November 2014 following a lengthy stand-off with security forces which surrounded his Satlok Ashram in Hisar.

Rampal's lawyer said that there were two cases registered against the latter - one on November 17, 2014 and another on November 18, 2014.

"In both the cases, the proceedings have been completed. Today the judgement has to come out. I hope the court goes through our charge sheet, cross examination, defence evidence and arguments and come up with an unbiased verdict," A.P. Singh, lawyer in the Hisar court, told ANI.

Singh added that the police said that the supporters barricaded themselves inside the 12-acre premises, but the witnesses said that the police did not allow the people to come out of the Ashram and assaulted them.

"Therefore, Sant Rampal did not hold back people inside the Ashram against their will, it was the police who were threatening the supporters and kept them as captives. Sant Rampal is not guilty. The second case was that Sant Rampal was creating difficulties in the judicial procedure of the case. But he was not keeping well and a panel of doctors approved it. A physically weak person cannot hamper a government proceeding," Singh asserted.

Rampal, 67, was dodging the arrest in connection with a case involving his followers, who opened fired at villagers in Rohtak, killing one person and injuring several others.

After Rampal failed to appear in court 43 times, the police were ordered to arrest him.

When the police marched to his Stalok Ashram, they were met with resistance as Rampal's supporters barricaded themselves inside the 12-acre premises.

A few of them had alleged that they were used as human shields and held against their will inside the ashram.

With no sign of Rampal surrendering peacefully, authorities cut water and power supply to the ashram.

At the end of the two-week stand-off, police launched a final assault on the ashram and flushed out Rampal and his supporters.

Five women and a baby were killed in the violence.

Two cases were registered against Rampal and 11 others in connection with the violence.

A special court set up inside the Hisar Central Jail, to hear the case against Rampal, will pronounce its verdict today.

Authorities had earlier requested the court to postpone its judgement in light of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court verdict in a rape case involving another self-styled godman, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI