Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim acquitted in journalist murder case

CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana precocious tribunal connected Saturday acquitted the jailed Dera Sacha Sauda main Gurmeet Ram Rahim successful the 2002 execution of writer Ram Chander Chhatrapati, overturning a beingness condemnation awarded by a CBI tribunal and dealing a stroke to the investigating agency.Gurmeet remains lodged successful Sunaria jailhouse successful Rohtak, serving a 20-year condemnation since August 2017 aft condemnation for raping 2 women devotees. He has spent much than 8 years successful situation successful that case.He besides faces a abstracted CBI lawsuit implicit the alleged castration of immoderate Dera followers. Trial is pending successful a tribunal successful Panchkula. HC had earlier acquitted him successful the execution lawsuit of erstwhile Dera manager Ranjit Singh. On Saturday, HC allowed the Dera chief's entreaty against his condemnation successful the Chhatrapati execution lawsuit portion upholding beingness sentences of 3 co-accused.

The slain journalist's lad Anshul, said the household plans to situation the acquittal successful Supreme Court.

Chhatrapati was the exertion of evening paper Poora Sach.

He had published reports alleging intersexual exploitation of women disciples astatine Dera Sacha Sauda. Prosecution alleged helium was killed successful retaliation for the coverage.Dera main counsel alleges CBI torture and revengeA peculiar CBI tribunal had sentenced the Dera main and 3 others to beingness imprisonment successful 2019, on with a good of 50,000 each.

Gurmeet challenged that condemnation successful HC, saying helium had been wrongly accused."Krishan Lal was tortured by CBI. The sanction of the Dera main was thereafter included arsenic an accused by mode of revenge," his counsel said.Lawyers besides questioned the grounds of cardinal witnesser Khatta Singh, saying the assertion that a conspiracy was hatched successful his beingness and wasn’t undisclosed to anyone “stands falsified by the admittance of IO, M Narayanan, successful his cross-examination”. The defence further argued prosecution failed to amusement Gurmeet had immoderate grievance against the journalist. “The investigating bureau failed to beryllium adjacent an iota of grounds that the appellant ever work the said newspaper,” the counsel said, adding that the evening insubstantial mostly reproduced reports already published by greeting newspapers.