Sacha Sauda head gets life imprisonment for journalist's murder

A special CBI court in Panchkula Thursday sentenced self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago.

The Dera Sacha Sauda chief and the three others -- Nirmal Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Krishan Lal -- appeared before the court through video conferencing.

"All four have been sentenced to life imprisonment," CBI counsel H P S Verma said.

The court has imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on each convict, he said, adding that it has also awarded three-year sentence to Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal under the Arms Act along with a fine of Rs 5,000 each.

Both sentences would run concurrently, Verma said.

On January 11, special CBI Court judge Jagdeep Singh had convicted the four men for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati in 2002.

All the four were convicted under Section 302 (murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

Ram Rahim appeared through video conferencing from Sunaria jail in Rohtak, where he is already serving a 20-year-sentence in a rape case.

The three others appeared from Ambala jail.

"The life sentence of Ram Rahim will start after he completes his 20-year jail term in the rape case," said the CBI counsel, stating that it was a law under Section 427 of the CrPC.

As per Section 427 of the Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973, when a person already undergoing a sentence of imprisonment is sentenced on a subsequent conviction to imprisonment for life, such imprisonment shall commence at the expiration of the imprisonment to which he has been previously sentenced.

The CBI had sought maximum punishment for the convicts, he said, adding that the counsels of Ram Rahim pleaded for minimum punishment in the murder case.

The arguments between CBI and defence counsels on the quantum of sentence lasted for almost one and half hours and the sentence was pronounced at 6.30 pm, Verma said.

The journalist was killed in Haryana's Sirsa in October 2002 after his newspaper published an anonymous letter alleging sexual exploitation of women by the godman at the Dera headquarters in the same town.

Ram Rahim was named as the main conspirator in the case.

Chhatrapati's family approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2003, seeking the transfer of the case to the CBI.

The investigation was later handed over to the CBI which filed a charge sheet in July 2007.

In August 2017, the sect leader was brought to the Panchkula court, where the CBI court judge pronounced the verdict in the rape case.

At that time, violence had erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana following the conviction of Ram Rahim, leaving over 40 people dead and scores of people injured. The judge had later travelled to Sunaria jail, where Ram Rahim Singh was lodged, to pronounce the sentence.

Elaborate security arrangements were made across Haryana and parts of Punjab on Thursday ahead of the pronouncement of punishment.

However, the situation remained peaceful, officials said.