Rape victims move HC, seek life imprisonment for Sirsa Dera chief

Chandigarh, October 4 : The two women followers raped by Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Wednesday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking life imprisonment for the sect head sentenced to 20 years in prison.
A special CBI court on August 28 had sentenced Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years in prison after his conviction in two rape cases.
“A revision petition has been filed today in the Punjab and Haryana High court for the enhancement of sentence for Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to life imprisonment in rape case,” said victims’ counsel Navkiran Singh here.
“In this case, the Dera sect chief was considered as ‘Pita Ji’ (father) by his followers. Victims were under emotional and physical custody of the Dera chief and he broke their trust and misused his position as a religious and spiritual leader. Therefore, we sought life imprisonment instead of the 20-year sentence,” the counsel said.
CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh had pronounced two sentences of 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment in each of the two cases that date back to 2002.
Besides, the court had also fined him Rs 15 lakh in each of the two cases.
Ram Rahim was convicted by the special CBI court on August 25, following which violence and arson had erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa districts which left 41 people dead and scores of others injured.Ram Rahim is currently lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak district.
In April 2002, an anonymous letter was written to the then Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, complaining about alleged sexual exploitation of women followers at Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa.
Then in May 2002, the high court directed the Sirsa district and sessions judge to probe the allegations in the letter. In September 2002, the high court had handed over the matter to the CBI after the district court indicated possibility of sexual exploitation.
In December 2002, the CBI registered a case of rape and criminal intimidation against Ram Rahim.The CBI had filed a chargesheet against the Dera head in Ambala court in July 2007.