Bolly Tolly News, kolkata ,29th August,2017 : Policemen walk past a poster of Baba Ram Rahim while patrolling a street in Sirsa after the pronouncement of quantum of sentence for the Dera chief in the two rape cases against him on Monday. | PTI
CHANDIGARH: Self-styled Godman and Dera Sacha Sauda Chief
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was today sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for the
rape and criminal intimidation of two ‘Sadhvis’ (women followers) who were
residing in a hostel located on the premises of the dera back in 1999. He was
also slapped with a fine of Rs 30 lakh.
The sentence is 10 years each for two rapes that will run
consecutively, and not concurrently. The fine is also Rs 15 lakh in each case,
of which Rs 14 lakh each must be paid to each victim.
Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge Jagdeep Singh pronounced the quantum of
sentence in the designated special court created in the library of the Sunaria
Jail in Rohtak. Singh was flown down in a government helicopter to conduct
court proceedings. Both the prosecution and defence lawyers were given 10
minutes each to put forward their arguments on the quantum of sentence. The CBI
lawyers sought the maximum sentence calling it the rarest-of--rare case,
whereas as the defence pleaded for leniency on grounds of the social work done
by Ram Rahim and on the grounds that he had health issues.
Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh
was on Monday sentenced to 20 years jail for the rape and criminal intimidation
of two female disciples.
The sect chief has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment
in each of the two cases of rape.
Both sentences will run consecutively. Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh announced the sentences
here on Monday.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on the sect
chief. The rape victims will get Rs 14 lakh each as compensation from this
amount.
The court had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape
and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 1999. The complaint in
the case was filed in 2002.
The quantum of sentence was announced by Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh at a specially set up
court inside the library of the District Jail in Sunaria near Rohtak town in
Haryana.
The CBI judge had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of
rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 1999. The
complaint in the case was filed in 2002.
While the defence (sect) counsel had argued for minimum
punishment for the disgraced sect chief saying that he was a social worker and
had health issues, the prosecution side (CBI counsel) sought maximum punishment
for the rape convict given his conduct.
There was drama inside the special court near Rohtak as the
convicted sect chief broke down and pleaded with folded hands before the judge.
After the sentence was announced, Ram Rahim sat down on the
floor and wept. He was taken away by jail wardens.
Ram Rahim was immediately medically examined by doctors and
found to be fine.
Earlier, the judge was specially flown to Rohtak, 70 km from
Delhi, on Monday for announcing the sentence at the special court.
Ram Rahim was brought and lodged in the jail (Prisoner No.
1997) here after his conviction by the CBI court in Panchkula, adjoining
Chandigarh, on Friday.
There were reports of fresh violence in Sirsa town, 260 km
from here, on Monday afternoon. Two vehicles were set on fire by Dera
followers, sources said.
To keep Dera followers, who had indulged in large-scale
violence in Panchkula on Friday after he was convicted, in check, authorities
in Haryana on Monday issued shoot-at-sight orders in and around the District
Jail at Sunaria.Thirty-eight people were killed and 264 others were injured
in the violence in Panchkula and Sirsa towns in Haryana.
Ambala to a special court in Panchkula. In 2014, Gurmeet Ram Rahim’ statement was recorded
after examination of the prosecution witnesses, and on August 17 arguments
concluded in the case.
Anshul Chhatrapati, the son of murdered Sirsa-based
journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati, welcomed the CBI special court judgment. “
Though he should have been given life imprisonment, I am satisfied with the
order of the court. It has given us strength to our fight against his might,’’
he said. Chhatrapati was murdered in October 2002 allegedly for exposing the
‘misdeeds’ of Ram Rahim in his vernacular newspaper “Poora Sach”. He was shot
dead allegedly by sect supporters at Ram Rahim’s behest.
The murder case is pending before the special CBI court in
Panchkula and hearing of final arguments is likely to be held next month.
Several CBI cases against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh
1) The killing of Haryana-based journalist Ram Chander
Chhatrapati for his writings against the Dera is also under trial. Chhatrapati
was shot on August 24, 2002 by two alleged dera supporters. While one of the
accused was caught on the spot, the other was arrested a few days later.
Chhatrapati succumbed to the gunshot wounds on November 21, 2002. A case was
then registered by the CBI.
2) Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is one of the accused
in the Ranjit Singh murder case. Singh, who had distanced himself from the
Dera, was called to Sirsa in June 2002 and threatened by accused Avtar Singh
and Inder Sain to seek apology from Gurmeet Ram Rahim for having circulated
anonymous letters. In July 2002, he was found shot dead.
3) In 2014, the CBI has also registered a case on the
directions of Punjab and Haryana High Court against Ram Rahim for the forcible
castration of 400 followers. Investigations are still in the case and the
central agency has recorded the statements of about a dozen such victims.
4) In another case, the CBI filed a closure report in 2010
as there were allegations that the dera chief and three others had hatched a
conspiracy and got his driver Faquir Chand disappeared in 1991.
Sedition case against Dera followers
Twenty-four people, including six women (Garima, Parul and
Neha from Fatehabad, Sheena from Hansi, Amarjeet Kaur and Gurjeet Kaur from
Sirsa) have been arrested for sedition and other heinous charges while 15
others have been held for breach of prohibitory orders in Sirsa. They were
nabbed on April 25.
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