Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday acquitted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, more than seven years after he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Ram Rahim, the head of Dera Sacha Sauda based in Sirsa, had been convicted by a special court in 2019 for the 2002 killing of Chhatrapati, who had published reports related to allegations against the Dera chief.
Hearing appeals against the conviction, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Vikram Aggarwal set aside the conviction and acquitted Ram Rahim of the charges.
However, the court dismissed the appeals filed by two other accused in the case, thereby upholding the verdict against them.
A detailed judgment explaining the reasons for the acquittal is expected to clarify the legal grounds on which the earlier conviction was overturned.
Journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who ran a local newspaper in Sirsa, was shot outside his residence in October 2002 and later died from his injuries. The case had drawn nationwide attention as Chhatrapati had reportedly published a letter alleging sexual abuse inside the Dera, which later led to investigations against Ram Rahim.
After a prolonged investigation, the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, which prosecuted Ram Rahim and others for the murder. A special CBI court in Panchkula had in 2019 sentenced them to life imprisonment for conspiring to kill the journalist.
Ram Rahim is currently serving jail terms in other cases, including convictions related to rape and other offences. The High Court’s latest ruling marks a significant legal development in the long-running Chhatrapati murder case.
