Chandigarh: A CBI court in Panchkula has announced its verdict in a case against Dera Sauda Sirsa (DSS) chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Pronouncing the verdict today in the presence of controversial dera chief, CBI court judge convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a case related to sexual exploitation and rape of “Sadhvis” (female followers) of the Dera. Sentencing will be held on August 28.
The court, on August 17, after the conclusion of arguments and submission of case laws, had announced that it would pronounce the judgment on August 25.
The allegations against Ram Rahim were that he sexually abused and exploited two ‘sadhvis’ residing in a hostel located on the premises of Dera Sacha Sauda at Sirsa.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 24, 2002, handed over the case to the CBI to investigate the case against the Dera chief on charges of having raped two ‘sadhvis’, or female followers, on the campus of the sect on the outskirts of Sirsa in 2002 after anonymous letters addressed to then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the then chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court made the allegation.
The CBI submitted a chargesheet on July 30, 2007. The court framed charges against Singh under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code on September 6, 2008.
After the examination of prosecution witnesses and evidence, the dera head’s statement was recorded under Section 313 of the CrPC in 2014.
