Journalist murder case: CBI court convicts Gurmeet Ram Rahim, three others; quantum of punishment to be decided on Jan 17

A Special CBI court in Panchkula on Friday convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three others in a case relating to the murder of a journalist.

File image of Gurmeet Ram Rahim/ PTI IMAGE

Panchkula (Haryana): A Special CBI court in Panchkula on Friday convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three others in a case relating to the murder of a journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati in 2002.   The three others accused are Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal. The judgment was pronounced by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court judge Jagdeep Singh in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh. The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on January 17.  Khatta Singh, a former driver of the controversial sect chief, had earlier told the court that Ram Rahim had ordered the killing of the journalist. The 51-year-old sect head is currently serving a 20-year prison term in Rohtak's Sunaria jail for raping two of his women followers. Will the CBI demand for capital punishment or press for life imprisonment is yet to be known. The controversial self-styled godman appeared before the court through video conferencing from the jail and Sources say was taken aback by the verdict, apprehensive that he would never see the daylight in his entire life. Ram Chander Chhatrapati's son Anshul who had been fighting a long, lonely battle welcomed the verdict but believed Ram Rahim deserved death penalty for the brutal killing. Earlier on Friday, taking preemptive measure, security had been beefed up both in Punjab and Haryana where the Dera Chief enjoys a sizeable following. Panchkula DCP Kamal Deep Goel imposed Section 144 of CrPC throughout the district Thursday. Police personnel had been deployed near the Sunaria Jail in Rohtak where he is currently serving a 20-year term. Chhatrapati was shot at in October 2002 after his newspaper, 'Poora Sach', published an anonymous letter narrating how women were being sexually exploited by Gurmeet Ram Rahim at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. The journalist later succumbed to injuries and a case was registered in 2003. The case was handed over to the CBI in 2006. Over 40 persons were killed and scores were injured in the violence that followed the sect head's conviction in the rape case in August 2017. Singh wielded an enormous political influence for having the ability to shift votes of his lakhs of supporters.