Judge seeks to withdraw from Sacha Sauda case

Chandiarh, Aug 23: Justice Surya Kant of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, who was hearing the anticipatory bail pleas of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in two cases of murder, today urged the Chief Justice to refer the cases to another bench of the court.

Justice Surya Kant, while urging Chief Justice Vijender Jain to refer the petitions to another bench, pointed out that he had appeared as Haryana Advocate General when the plea for handing over the investigation in these cases to the CBI had been heard by the High Court.

The judge said he had some doubt about his having appeared in the case earlier. To clear the doubt, he had called for the record which confirmed his suspicion, he added.

The Dera Sacha Sauda head had filed two petitions for grant of anticipatory bail after the CBI had chargesheeted him in the the murder cases of Sirsa-based Ram Chander Chhatrapati and former dera employee Ranjit Singh of Kurukshetra district.

Justice Surya Kant had yesterday heard the arguments of the CBI counsel who had opposed the bail pleas.

UNI