<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on a plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the acquittal of controversial self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of the Dera Sacha Sauda in the Ranjit Singh murder case.&nbsp;
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">A bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar directed to tag the CBI&rsquo;s special leave petition with another pending petition filed by a family member of the deceased against the acquittal of Ram Rahim and four other accused.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In September 2024, a bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and S.C. Sharma agreed to examine a plea filed by the complainant Jasgeer Singh and sought responses from the CBI, Ram Rahim and the other accused persons.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In May last year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowed the appeals moved by Ram Rahim and others who were convicted by a CBI court in Panchkula in 2021.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">A bench of Justices Sureshwar Thakur and Lalit Batra of the high court acquitted Avtar Singh, Jasbir Singh, Sabdil Singh, and Krishan Lal, all of whom were awarded life sentences along with the self-styled godman.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Despite the acquittal, Ram Rahim remained in prison as he stood convicted in other cases of rape and murder. Former Dera manager Ranjit Singh was shot by four assailants on July 10, 2002, at Khanpur Kolian village in Haryana's Kurukshetra.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In 2021, a special CBI court found Ram Rahim and others guilty of the murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment. It was suspected that Ranjit Singh was murdered because of his alleged role in circulating a letter that narrated how the sect head was sexually exploiting women at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa.
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati later used the same letter in a news report. He was killed soon after the report was published. Ram Rahim was also convicted on the charges of murdering the journalist.<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&nbsp;
<span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #001e2f; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&mdash;IANS

Ram Rahim was accused of killing a journalist who used the letter in his news —File Photo

Ranjit Singh was shot dead because he was circulating letter that narrates how sect head exploited women

SC Issued Notice on CBI Plea: Ram Rahim Case

Ranjit Singh was shot dead because he was circulating letter that narrates how sect head exploited women

January 3, 2025 | 15:45 IST