Chandigarh: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh alias Ram Rahim Baba was acquitted of the murder of journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday.
The self-styled godman was serving a life sentence in this case. Ram Rahim will not walk free though as he is serving a 20-year sentence for the rape of two of his disciples.
The controversial godman had been accused of being involved in the killing Chhatrapati, a Sirsa-based journalist, for publishing reports critical of his activities, as reported by abp LIVE.
A Special CBI court had found Ram Rahim guilty in the case and sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2019. Three others, Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal, were also convicted in the case and awarded life terms along with a fine of Rs 50,000 each.
A division bench of the
High Court, comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Vikram Aggarwal, set aside the conviction and acquitted Ram Rahim though.
He was also awarded a 20-year sentence in 2017 for the rape of two disciples and is serving his sentence in the Sunaria jail in Rohtak.
His conviction in the rape case had triggered widespread violence in Haryana in August 2017. More than 40 people were killed and dozens injured after clashes broke out between his supporters and security forces in Panchkula and other areas following the verdict.
Ram Rahim, and four others, had also been convicted and sentenced to life in another case involving the murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh.
Ranjit Singh, a resident of Khanpur Kolian village in Haryana’s Kurukshetra district, was shot dead on July 10, 2002 while working in his fields.
A Special CBI court in Panchkula had sentenced the accused, including Ram Rahim, to life imprisonment in that case.
Last year, the High Court acquitted Ram Rahim and the four others in that murder case.
The godman was released from jail in January this year after being granted a 40-day parole. His periodic paroles in the past have drawn criticism from political parties and raised security concerns.