The Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
The ruling came more than seven years after a special CBI court convicted him and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Ram Chander Chhatrapati, editor of the newspaper Poor Sachwas shot outside his residence in Sirsa on October 24, 2002. His murder followed the publication of an anonymous letter alleging sexual exploitation of women disciples by the sect chief.
Earlier this year, a CBI court convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim along with Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh, and Krishan Lal. The court awarded life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000. The accused challenged the verdict in the high court, claiming false implication. Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s lawyer Jitender Khurana confirmed that the high court has now set aside the conviction and acquitted him in the journalist murder case.
Despite the acquittal, Gurmeet Ram Rahim remains in prison as he continues to serve a 20-year sentence for raping two disciples in 2017. He is lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak, Haryana.
In May 2024, the high court also acquitted him in the 2002 murder case of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh. Apart from these cases, he faces multiple FIRs related to sacrilege incidents in Punjab in 2015.
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