<p>Tainted chief of Dera Sacha Sauda sect, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was on Friday convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula for the murder of a Dera follower, Ranjit Singh, in the year 2002. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on October 12 by the special CBI judge Sushil Kumar Garg.</p>.<p>The sect chief is currently behind bars since 2017 in a jail in Haryana’s Rohtak. He is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples. Gurmeet Ram Rahim has also been sentenced to life imprisonment by the CBI court for the murder of a journalist, Ram Chander Chattarpati. His life imprisonment will start after he completes his 20 years in jail for rape.</p>.<p>“The special CBI court has convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim under Section 302 of the IPC for murder,” CBI special prosecutor HPS Verma said on Friday. Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, Avtar Singh and Sabdil are the other accused who have been convicted.</p>.<p>A follower of Ram Rahim, Ranjit Singh was shot dead by four assailants on July 10, 2002 at his native in Haryana’s Kurukshetra. The Dera chief and his accomplices suspected that Ranjit Singh was behind the circulation of an anonymous letter that brought to fore the sexual exploitation of women disciples inside the Dera complex in Sirsa. The anonymous letters opened a Pandora box leading to a case being registered. </p>.<p>The Punjab and Haryana High Court had recently dismissed a petition seeking the transfer of the Ranjit Singh murder case from the special CBI court in Panchkula to any other special CBI court in Punjab, Haryana, or Chandigarh. Dera Sacha Sauda remained a popular sect in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and other states, inviting millions of followers. It wielded sizable political clout across party lines. </p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>Tainted chief of Dera Sacha Sauda sect, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was on Friday convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula for the murder of a Dera follower, Ranjit Singh, in the year 2002. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on October 12 by the special CBI judge Sushil Kumar Garg.</p>.<p>The sect chief is currently behind bars since 2017 in a jail in Haryana’s Rohtak. He is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples. Gurmeet Ram Rahim has also been sentenced to life imprisonment by the CBI court for the murder of a journalist, Ram Chander Chattarpati. His life imprisonment will start after he completes his 20 years in jail for rape.</p>.<p>“The special CBI court has convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim under Section 302 of the IPC for murder,” CBI special prosecutor HPS Verma said on Friday. Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, Avtar Singh and Sabdil are the other accused who have been convicted.</p>.<p>A follower of Ram Rahim, Ranjit Singh was shot dead by four assailants on July 10, 2002 at his native in Haryana’s Kurukshetra. The Dera chief and his accomplices suspected that Ranjit Singh was behind the circulation of an anonymous letter that brought to fore the sexual exploitation of women disciples inside the Dera complex in Sirsa. The anonymous letters opened a Pandora box leading to a case being registered. </p>.<p>The Punjab and Haryana High Court had recently dismissed a petition seeking the transfer of the Ranjit Singh murder case from the special CBI court in Panchkula to any other special CBI court in Punjab, Haryana, or Chandigarh. Dera Sacha Sauda remained a popular sect in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and other states, inviting millions of followers. It wielded sizable political clout across party lines. </p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>