Ahead of Ram Rahim Verdict, Court Says Administration ‘Already Failed’

Chandigarh, Aug 25 : Tension continues to mount leading into the verdict of the rape case involving self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh as the prime accused. Nearly 2 lakh members of his outfit – Dera Sacha Sauda – are camping in Panchkula, which compelled the Punjab and Haryana High Court to rap the administration on Thursday.
Court questioned the Haryana government over its alleged failure to prevent the Dera members from reaching en-masse to Panchkula over the past couple of weeks. The administration “has already failed”, the court remarked, adding that it took “too little” steps to avert the crisis which Dera supporters pose in the region.
The Special CBI court in Panchkula, which is expected to pronounce verdict in the rape case today, will begin hearing at 11:30 AM. The controversial godman is scheduled to appear before court in person by 2:30 PM.
The High Court, while hearing a PIL on Thursday over the congregation of nearly 2 lakh Dera members in the town of Panchkula, instructed the Ram Rahim-led outfit to appeal its supporters to move back. “The appeal should be publicized,” the court remarked.
However, the Sirsa-based outfit did not issue a public statement asking its followers to retract. Instead, Ram Rahim told his supporters via Twitter that he would be “appearing before the court in person tomorrow, despite back ache”.
With the Dera chief confirming his presence in Panchkula today, his supporters are unlikely to move back despite numerous appeals from the security forces.
Aditya Insan, the spokesperson of Dera, said their supporters are “law-abiding” citizens who have gathered in Panchkula only to express solidarity with their “saint”. No member of our organisation has come with the intent to cause arson, he added.
Punjab’s Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora said his forces are taking steps to ensure minimum damage to human life and properties in case of the court verdict going against Ram Rahim. “Our forces are kept on vigil. The security is being constantly monitored,” he said.
As a precautionary measure, the Punjab government has announced closure of all schools, banks, agencies, institutes and public sector units today in Chandigarh region to prevent any untowards incident.
Meanwhile, in Sirsa, the base of Dera Sacha Sauda, curfew has been imposed by the Haryana government. According to reports, nearly one lakh Dera supporters are gathered near the outfit’s headquarters, many camping in tents outside. Reports also claimed that Dera members were stocking sharp-edged weapons and petrol bombs at the congregation centre.
The rape case against Ram Rahim dates back to 2002, when a women devotee accused the godman of molesting him for nearly 3 years using coercionary methods at the Dera headquarter in Sirsa. The probe was taken over by the CBI in 2003. Ram Rahim dismissed the charges levelled against him, calling it a conspiracy of his detractors.