Dera Chief Acquitted in 2002 Journalist Murder Case

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has cleared Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, of charges in the 2002 murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. His acquittal comes over seven years after he was initially sentenced to life imprisonment.

The decision was pronounced by a division bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, which upheld the convictions of three other individuals involved. The journalist’s family, represented by his son Anshul Chhatrapati, plans to appeal the verdict in the Supreme Court.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three others had been convicted in 2019 by a special CBI court for their roles in Chhatrapati's murder. The journalist was targeted after his publication reported allegations of sexual exploitation against followers at the Dera's Sirsa headquarters.