Rohtak, Haryana: CBI Special Judge Jagdeep Singh today handed down a sentence of ten years rigorous imprisonment to Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, in a rape case. The Judge also slapped a fine of Rs 65,000 on Ram Rahim. The proceedings began at 1430 hrs.
The CBI judge allotted 10 minutes to each side to put forth their contentions. Calling it the rarest of the rare case, prosecution demanded maximum punishment for the godman, while the counsel for the Dera chief sought a reduced sentence on health grounds. Defence counsel also submitted that Ram Rahim was a social worker who had worked for the welfare of the people, so the court should take a lenient view when pronouncing the quantum of sentence. The Dera chief, who broke down, pleaded for mercy.
The CBI judge was earlier flown in a helicopter to the Sunaria jail in Rohtak where a special courtroom was set up for one day. On August 25, at the Panchkula district court, the Judge had convicted the Dera chief of rape. He was found guilty under Sections 376 and 506 of the IPC and flown to Rohtak district jail in Sunaria. Large-scale violence, subsequently, erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa towns of Haryana which left 38 dead and an estimated 250 others injured.
Arson and violence in some parts of Punjab by the Dera followers also took place. In 2002, a female follower of the Dera chief penned an anonymous letter to then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, accusing the Dera chief of sexual abuse. The godman said he would appeal against the sentence in the Supreme Court.
