Anshul Chattarpati, who fought a long battle for justice, told media “this is the triumph of truth, I feel relieved today. The prosecution had demanded capital punishment but we're satisfied with the punishment.”
In the case, the CBI and the family of the slain journalist had demanded capital punishment for Ram Rahim.
The convicts, Ram Rahim and three others appeared through video conference. Reports say he accepted the verdict with folded hands and got up to proceed to the barracks. The 51-year-old Sirsa-based sect head is currently serving a 20-year-prison term in Rohtak's Sunaria jail for raping two of his women followers. While the three other convicts, Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal, are lodged in Ambala jail.
On January 11, special CBI Court judge Jagdeep Singh had convicted the four men for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati in 2002. All the four were convicted under section 302 (murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
In the case where Ram Rahim was named the main conspirator, Ram Chander Chhatrapati was killed in Haryana's Sirsa in October 2002 after his newspaper published an anonymous letter alleging sexual exploitation of women by the godman at the Dera headquarters in the same town.