High Court Acquits Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in Murder Case Due to Investigation Lapses

Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, has been absolved of charges in a 22-year-old murder case by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The court, comprised of Justices Sureshwar Thakur and Lalit Batra, pointed out significant lapses in the investigation and a lack of substantial evidence linking the accused to the crime. The case revolved around the murder of former Dera manager, Ranjit Singh.

Highlighted in the court’s ruling were several areas where the investigation was deemed ‘tainted and sketchy,’ including the weapon used in the murder, ballistic reports, post-mortem findings, and a polygraph test that did not support the prosecution’s narrative.

It was noted that the investigating officer(s) appeared to have conducted a flawed and inadequate investigation, influenced by the media scrutiny surrounding the high-profile case. The judges emphasized the importance of courts scrutinizing evidence objectively for a just outcome.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for the rape of two of his disciples and faces another 16-year-old murder case against him. The murder of Ranjit Singh was allegedly linked to an anonymous letter implicating Ram Rahim in sexual exploitation at the Dera headquarters.

The Dera chief, along with four others, was previously convicted by a CBI court in Panchkula, Haryana, in October 2021, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Ram Rahim is presently incarcerated in Rohtak, Haryana, as a result of these convictions.

His prior conviction in 2017 for the rape cases sparked widespread violence and unrest in parts of Punjab and Haryana, resulting in numerous casualties and significant damage. The deployment of the Army was necessary to restore order during the turbulent period.