High Court Clears Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in Journalist Murder Case

Punjab and Haryana High Court's Ruling

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has overturned the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the leader of Dera Sacha Sauda, in a murder case involving journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, as confirmed by his attorney Jitender Khurana on Saturday.

This decision comes over seven years after Singh was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime.

Khurana stated, "The court has acquitted him in the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati."

In 2019, Singh and three accomplices were found guilty of murdering Chhatrapati in Sirsa, Haryana. The journalist was shot outside his residence in October 2002 after his publication, 'Poora Sach', released an anonymous letter detailing allegations of sexual abuse against women followers at the Dera's headquarters.

Additionally, Singh is currently serving a 20-year sentence, imposed in 2017, for the rape of two of his followers. Following this conviction, he has been incarcerated at Sunaria jail in Rohtak, Haryana.