Dera chief to present before CBI court on Oct 4

Chandigarh, Aug 31: The chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda, Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, has been asked to appear before a Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on October 4, 2007 in connection with two cases of murder and the rape of a disciple.

Special CBI Judge R N Bharti issued the notice on Friday after the Dera Sacha Sauda chief's defence counsel appeared before the court and informed it about the interim relief given to Singh by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The court had earlier asked Singh to present himself before it today after the CBI had filed a chargesheet on July 31, accusing him of murdering sect manager, Ranjit Singh, and a Sirsa-based journalist, Ram Chander Chatterpatti, and for the alleged rape of a Sadhavi.

Two accused, Inder Sain and Avtar Singh were discharged in the Chatterpatti murder case on a defence plea that the duo had not been named as accused by the CBI in the chargesheet.

The court has summoned Singh and three others Kishan Lal, Kuldip Singh and Nirmal Singh who have been facing charges of conspiracy and murder.

Singh has been charged under Section 120-B (Conspiracy) in connection with the case relating to the murder of Ranjit Singh.

The other accused summoned in this case are Kishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, Sabdil, Avtar Singh and Inder Singh, booked under Section 302 (Murder).
Singh is the lone accused under Section 376 (Rape) in connection with the alleged rape of a Sadhavi.

On August 29, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had granted interim relief to the Dera chief and asked the trial court to adjourn the August 31 hearing in the three cases against him to any date after September 15, so that it could pronounce its order on his anticipatory bail plea in these cases.

"In view of lengthy arguments, it will not be possible for the court to pronounce its order on the anticipatory bail plea of the petitioner," Justice L N Mittal of the High Court at Chandigarh had observed two days ago.

Earlier this month, Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was questioned by Punjab Police in connection with a case filed against him for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs in the month of May.

A police team from Bhatinda, comprising 24 officials led by Deputy Superintendent Surinder Pal Singh, quizzed him inside the sect's headquarters at Sirsa in Haryana.

Singh was interrogated regarding all aspects of the case, Bathinda police chief Naunihal Singh said.

The questioning lasted over two hours but remained inconclusive. He was grilled again on August 24.

A case was registered against him following a complaint by a Bathinda resident, who accused Singh of hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs by donning the attire of the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh.

His projection as Guru Gobind Singh led to widespread agitations across the country, and to a locking of horns with the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC), which sought an unqualified apology from him.

ANI
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