Ram Rahim acquitted in journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati murder case, High Court overturns CBI court’s decision: – ..

News India Live, Digital Desk: On Saturday (7 March 2026), the Punjab and Haryana High Court, in a historic verdict, acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the 2002 murder case of journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati. The bench of Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Vikram Aggarwal, citing lack of evidence and legal nuances, set aside the 2019 decision of the special CBI court of Panchkula, in which Ram Rahim was sentenced to life imprisonment.

22 year old case: What was the whole controversy?

This matter is of the year 2002, when fearless journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati of Sirsa had published an anonymous letter in his newspaper ‘Pura Sach’. In this letter, the sexual exploitation of the Sadhvis of the Dera was exposed. Shortly after this news was published, in October 2002, Chhatrapati was shot indiscriminately outside his house, resulting in his death.

CBI Court vs High Court: What changed in the decision?

CBI Court Decision (2019): In January 2019, a special CBI court had found Ram Rahim and three others (Nirmal Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Krishna Lal) guilty of conspiracy to murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

Latest decision of High Court (2026): The High Court accepted Ram Rahim’s appeal and canceled his sentence. However, the court has taken a different approach regarding the punishment of other accused involved in the case (the conviction of the other accused has been upheld). Only after the detailed order comes, it will be clear which evidence against Ram Rahim was found weak.

Ram Rahim will remain in jail despite acquittal

Even though Ram Rahim has got a big relief in the journalist murder case, he will not be able to come out of jail yet.

Sadhvi sexual abuse case: Ram Rahim is serving his 20-year sentence in Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail since 2017.

Ranjit Singh Murder Case: In this case also he has already got relief from the High Court. For now, he will have to remain in jail as his conviction in the sexual assault case remains intact.

Next step of the victim’s family: Preparation for the Supreme Court

Ramchandra Chhatrapati’s son Anshul Chhatrapati has expressed disappointment over this decision. He said that this is a big blow to his family and they will now approach the Supreme Court for justice. There is a wave of happiness among the Dera followers after this decision, but due to security reasons, the administration in Sirsa and surrounding areas is on alert.