Supreme Court issues notice to Gurmeet Ram Rahim, 4 others in Ranjit Singh murder case
PTC Web Desk: The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice in response to a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court's decision to acquit Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 murder case of sect manager Ranjit Singh.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar acknowledged the CBI's plea and tagged it with a pending appeal filed by the complainant, who also contested the acquittal. The complainant is the father of the deceased.
Ranjit Singh, a manager and follower of Dera Sacha Sauda, was shot dead by four unknown assailants in 2002. The attack was allegedly orchestrated on the suspicion that Singh had circulated an anonymous letter exposing cases of sexual exploitation of female followers by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Following the murder, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a CBI investigation in November 2003. In October 2021, a CBI court convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh along with Avtar Singh, Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, and Sabdil Singh for their roles in the murder. One of the accused, Inder Sain, passed away during the trial in 2020. However, on May 28, 2023, a Division Bench of Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Lalit Batra of the High Court overturned the conviction, citing insufficient evidence and noting that the prosecution's case was "shrouded in doubts."
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, informed the Bench that the complainant had already filed an appeal, and notice had been issued earlier by a Bench headed by Justice Bela Trivedi. In light of this, CJI Khanna passed an order stating, "Our attention has been drawn to the office report dated 9.9.24 of the order passed by the Bench of Justice Trivedi. Issue notice and tag with SLP (Crl) No. 012607/2024. The SLP be listed before the bench presided by Justice Bela Trivedi."
The case will now be heard by Justice Bela Trivedi's Bench.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is already serving a 20-year sentence for sexual assault. He was also convicted in the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, for which he received a life sentence to be served after his current term.
- PTC NEWS
