<p> Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four others were sentenced to life imprisonment by a special CBI court on Monday for the murder of sect manager Ranjit Singh in 2002.</p>.<p>Ram Rahim Singh, who was in 2017 sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for raping two disciples, is currently lodged in Rohtak's Sunaria jail. </p>.<p>The Special Court in Haryana's Panchkula had convicted him and four others - Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, Avtar Singh and Sabdil - in the murder case on October 8. “The court has given the life sentence to five,” CBI special prosecutor H P S Verma said after the hearing was held amid tight security.</p>.<p>The CBI had sought capital punishment for them. </p>.<p>Verma said the Dera chief was also fined Rs 31 lakh and half of the amount will go to the victim's family as compensation.</p>.<p>Reacting to the verdict, Jagseer Singh, son of Ranjit Singh, said it was a big day for the family as they got justice after a long wait.</p>.<p>Jagseer, who was eight years old when his father was murdered, said he was satisfied with the verdict, though his family was seeking death sentence for Ram Rahim Singh.</p>.<p>The Dera chief, who enjoyed a large following, had frequently courted controversies and after his conviction in the rape case in 2017, violence had broken out in Panchkula and Sirsa leaving over 40 dead.</p>.<p>Police had tightened security in Panchkula and Sirsa, where the sect is headquartered, ahead of the hearing.</p>.<p>In Panchkula, prohibitory orders under Section 144 were clamped.</p>.<p>Former Dera manager Ranjit Singh, who was also a follower of the sect, was shot dead on July 10, 2002 at Khanpur Kolian village in Haryana's Kurukshetra.</p>.<p>According to the CBI charge sheet, the Dera chief believed that Ranjit Singh was behind the circulation of an anonymous letter and hatched a conspiracy to kill him.</p>.<p>The letter narrated how women were allegedly being sexually exploited by the sect head at the Dera headquarters. </p>.<p>The five were convicted under relevant sections, including 302 (murder), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.</p>.<p>Over two years back, the sect head was also awarded life imprisonment for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. </p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos</strong></p>
<p> Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four others were sentenced to life imprisonment by a special CBI court on Monday for the murder of sect manager Ranjit Singh in 2002.</p>.<p>Ram Rahim Singh, who was in 2017 sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for raping two disciples, is currently lodged in Rohtak's Sunaria jail. </p>.<p>The Special Court in Haryana's Panchkula had convicted him and four others - Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, Avtar Singh and Sabdil - in the murder case on October 8. “The court has given the life sentence to five,” CBI special prosecutor H P S Verma said after the hearing was held amid tight security.</p>.<p>The CBI had sought capital punishment for them. </p>.<p>Verma said the Dera chief was also fined Rs 31 lakh and half of the amount will go to the victim's family as compensation.</p>.<p>Reacting to the verdict, Jagseer Singh, son of Ranjit Singh, said it was a big day for the family as they got justice after a long wait.</p>.<p>Jagseer, who was eight years old when his father was murdered, said he was satisfied with the verdict, though his family was seeking death sentence for Ram Rahim Singh.</p>.<p>The Dera chief, who enjoyed a large following, had frequently courted controversies and after his conviction in the rape case in 2017, violence had broken out in Panchkula and Sirsa leaving over 40 dead.</p>.<p>Police had tightened security in Panchkula and Sirsa, where the sect is headquartered, ahead of the hearing.</p>.<p>In Panchkula, prohibitory orders under Section 144 were clamped.</p>.<p>Former Dera manager Ranjit Singh, who was also a follower of the sect, was shot dead on July 10, 2002 at Khanpur Kolian village in Haryana's Kurukshetra.</p>.<p>According to the CBI charge sheet, the Dera chief believed that Ranjit Singh was behind the circulation of an anonymous letter and hatched a conspiracy to kill him.</p>.<p>The letter narrated how women were allegedly being sexually exploited by the sect head at the Dera headquarters. </p>.<p>The five were convicted under relevant sections, including 302 (murder), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.</p>.<p>Over two years back, the sect head was also awarded life imprisonment for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. </p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos</strong></p>