SC clear path for prosecution of Dera Chief in 2015 sacrilege cases

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday allowed the prosecution of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in cases related to the 2015 sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

A division bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Vishwanathan lifted the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the proceedings.

The apex court directed Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to file his reply in the matter, while hearing an appeal by the Punjab government. The next hearing is scheduled for four weeks later.

Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh had urged the Supreme Court to vacate the high court’s stay on the proceedings in three cases registered at Bajakhana police station in Faridkot.

The court has issued a notice to Ram Rahim, indicating that the matter requires judicial scrutiny.

In February 2023, the Supreme Court had ordered the transfer of the trial from Faridkot to a Chandigarh court for these cases against Ram Rahim and his followers.