Thousands of supporters of controversial dera Sacha Sauda sect virtually laid siege to this Haryana city on Thursday as the sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh appeared in a special CBI court in connection with cases of two murders and alleged sexual harassment of a woman disciple registered against him.

The special judge, R N Bharti, granted interim bail to the dera chief till October 15 while directing him to file any plea for regular bail in the sessions court here.

He was also directed to furnish a bail bond of Rs 5 lakh in each of the three cases he has been charge-sheeted for.

Dressed in white kurta-pyjama and sporting his trademark colourful turban, the dera chief gently waved to the vociferous crowd of supporters after his court appearance before proceeding to the dera headquarters at Sirsa.

Despite promulgation of prohibitory orders by the district administration banning assembly of five or more people around the court complex, thousands of sect supporters who had converged to the city danced and cheered when they learnt about the relief granted by the court. As a precautionary measure, the administration had also declared holiday in schools and colleges in the city situated about 55 km from the state capital, Chandigarh.

The supporters had converged to the city from Punjab and Haryana to express solidarity with the sect chief who had recently annoyed Sikhs by dressing alike Sikh gurus.

Massive security arrangements had been made in the city by the administration in view of the court appearance of the sect head who enjoys vast following in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Additional security forces had been deployed at all the entry points to the state from neighbouring Punjab.

The dera chief has been charge-sheeted by the CBI for his alleged involvement in the murder of dera manager, Ranjit Singh and a Sirsa based journalist Ram Chander Chatterpatti. He has also been charged with rape of a woman disciple.