Will appear in Panchkula court, says Dera chief

Chandigarh, August 24 : Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Thursday said he would go to the court on August 25. In a message posted on social media, he said he respected the law and despite his back ache he would go to Panchkula. The Dera chief was accused of rape in 1999. The CBI took over the investigation in 2002. On August 17, the special CBI court of Panchkula concluded hearing in the case, but reserved pronouncing the verdict for August 25. For the August 17 hearing, Gurmeet was exempted from appearing in person at Panchkula by the court. The Dera chief had cited medical reasons for not attending court in person.The case was registered by the CBI in 2002 against the Dera chief after allegations of sexual exploitation of two women followers through anonymous letters.
The hearing has been going on since 2007.