Punjab & Haryana High Court Issues Notice On Gurmeet Ram Rahim's Plea Seeking Transfer Of Probe To CBI In 2015 Sacrilege Cases

The Punjab & Haryana High Court today sought a response from the Punjab and Union Government, CBI on a plea file by self-styled Godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim seeking transfer of investigation in FIRs pertaining to 2015 Sacrilege cases.Justice Vinod S. Bhardwaj issued notice to the State of Punjab, Union of India and CBI.Ram Rahim is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples. He was also convicted of murdering a journalist and his own Dera manager Ranjeet Singh in 2002 and awarded a life sentence which will run after the end of his 20 year-term.The plea seeks the transfer of FIR lodged in Punjab's Bathinda and Moga under Sections 295A and 120-B IPC, to CBI on account of the alleged tainted and unfair investigation.It submits that "the issue of sacrilege is emotive in nature having potential to polarise people on the lines of religion, people with vested interest exert pressure upon the state to project itself to be the savior of the religion."It is pertinent to note that recently, the Court has referred Ram Rahim's plea challenging the Punjab Government's withdrawal of consent for the CBI probe into other FIRs pertaining to 2015 Sacrilege Cases, to a larger bench.The matter is listed for May 21, for further consideration.Advocates Gautam Dutt, Amar D. Kamra, Mayank Aggarwal for petitioner.Dheeraj Jain Sr. Standing Counsel for Union Government.Title: Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim v. State of Punjab & Ors.Background At the centre of the controversy are a series of desecration incidents in the state of Punjab that began with the theft of a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib from a gurdwara in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village of Faridkot in June 2015. Subsequently, in September, handwritten sacrilegious posters against the holy book sprung up in Jawahar Singh Wala and Bargari villages in Faridkot. In October of the same year, several torn angs (pages) of the holy book were found strewn near a gurudwara in Bargari.As a result of this, massive protests erupted in the state of Punjab. The state police opened fire on the protestors, resulting in the death of two agitators resulting in further social and political unrest.A total of 12 people were named in three interlinked cases related to the theft and desecration of the copy of Guru Granth Sahib. The investigation was handed over to the CBI in November by a previous coalition government of Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party.In June 2019, the CBI filed a closure report stating that no incriminating evidence was found against followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda, but both the ruling Congress and opposition Shiromani Akali Dal rejected the report. Within months, the Punjab government withdrew the consent allowing the CBI to investigate, and the cases were handed over to a special investigation team (SIT) of the state police.Trial in all three cases was pending in Faridkot court at the stage of arguments on framing of charges. Marking a complete departure from the outcome of the CBI probe, the SIT named several Dera followers, three national committee members, and the chief of Dera Ram Rahim as accused in the sacrilege cases. Controversial, self-styled Godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been named as the key conspirator by the Punjab Police.In 2023, the Supreme Court directed the trial against Ram Rahim and seven other accused in the sacrilege case to be transferred from Punjab's Faridkot to Chandigarh.

Punjab & Haryana High Court Issues Notice On Gurmeet Ram Rahim's Plea Seeking Transfer Of Probe To CBI In 2015 Sacrilege Cases

Aiman J. Chishti

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