Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four others were acquitted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the 22-year-old murder case of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh. This decision came in response to an appeal filed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim challenging his conviction.
Ranjit Singh was shot dead on July 10, 2002, while serving as a member of the Dera's management committee. Dissatisfied with the police investigation, Ranjit Singh's son, Jagseer Singh, petitioned the High Court in 2003 for a CBI investigation. The case was subsequently transferred to the CBI, which led to the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim and four others by a Special CBI Court in Panchkula on October 18, 2021. Ram Rahim was sentenced to life imprisonment.
However, the High Court has now overturned the CBI court's decision, acquitting all five individuals involved, including Ram Rahim.
Despite this acquittal, Gurmeet Ram Rahim's release from jail remains unlikely. He is currently serving multiple sentences in other cases. Notably, Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two of his disciples and life imprisonment in the Chhatrapati murder case. As a result, he will continue to serve his sentences for these crimes, preventing his immediate release.
