sc-resumes-trial-in-gurmeet-ram-rahim-s-2015-sacrilege-cases

The Supreme Court on Friday paved the way for the resumption of trial in the 2015 sacrilege cases involving Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The cases had been stalled after the Punjab and Haryana High Court imposed a stay on the proceedings.

A bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and K V Vishwanathan vacated the stay and directed Ram Rahim to file a response.

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea from the Punjab government challenging the High Court's earlier order. The bench has set a four-week deadline for further hearings.

Punjab’s Advocate General, Gurminder Singh, argued before the court, requesting that the trial proceed, and challenged the High Court’s decision to halt the trial in three cases registered at Bajakhana Police Station, Faridkot. The apex court issued a notice to Ram Rahim in response to these submissions.

In February 2023, the Supreme Court had transferred the trial from a Faridkot court to Chandigarh.

This followed a request from Ram Rahim, who had earlier approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court to challenge the validity of a 2018 notification by the Punjab government.

This notification withdrew the investigation from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), demanding the cases be reinvestigated by the state authorities.

Ram Rahim argued that the CBI should continue handling the investigation.

However, the Punjab government insisted on the withdrawal, resulting in prolonged legal disputes.

On March 11, 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, while referring certain legal issues to a larger bench, ordered a temporary stay on the trial against the Dera chief.

The larger bench will examine whether the state government is within its rights to withdraw its consent for a CBI probe once it has already been granted.

Meanwhile, Ram Rahim was recently granted a 20-day parole by the Haryana government. During this period, he is prohibited from engaging in election-related activities or leaving the state’s jurisdiction.

The Dera chief is currently serving a 20-year sentence in Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail for the rape of two of his female disciples, a conviction handed down in 2017.

In addition to this, he was also found guilty in 2019 of the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, a crime that took place more than 16 years ago.