A special CBI court on Monday sentenced Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The Dera chief was convicted of rape on August 25. Giving details of the sentencing, CBI counsel in the case, said, “It is 20 years punishment and both the sentences shall not run concurrently. It means, he shall remain inside the jail for 20 years. Court has also imposed a fine of Rs. 30 lakh on dera chief (Rs. 15 lakh in each of the case of two rapes that he committed). the fine shall be payable Rs. 15 lakh each to both the rape victims)”.
Earlier today, CBI judge Jagdeep Singh was flown in a helicopter to Sunaria Jail, where a special court room was set up for pronouncing the quantum of sentence in a rape case.
A three-tier security ring has been installed around Rohtak’s Sunaria district jail. The administration has issued a stern warning and is keeping vigil in the states of Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi ahead of the announcement of sentence keeping in mind the violence that broke out after the verdict was announced where 38 people were killed.
Important points-
- Both 10-year sentences in the rape cases against Ram Rahim Singh will run consecutively for a total of 20 years jail, says CBI spokesperson.
- The special CBI court has fined Ram Rahim Singh Rs15 lakh in each rape case, says the defence lawyer.
- CBI court jails Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for 10 years in the second rape case, says the defence lawyer. This term will run non-concurrent with the 10-year jail term announced earlier.
- The two women who accused Ram Rahim of raping them 15 years ago have sought more punishment for Ram Rahim and their lawyer asked investigators to probe dozens more alleged cases of abuse. The CBI has asked the court to consider a longer prison term for the Dera chief.
- Ram Rahim will be medically examined and then will behave to wear prison clothes as prisoner number 1997 at the Rohtak jail. Since Friday, when he was flown to Rohtak in a luxury helicopter, Ram Rahim reportedly occupied a special cell and was given bottled water and was allowed an assistant, amid massive criticism.
- “The situation in the state is peaceful, strict action will be taken against those who try to disturb the peace,” said Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar, after an emergency meeting with top ministers, bureaucrats and police officers at his home in Chandigarh.
- The CBI court judge delivered sentence at the Rohtak prison today to prevent a repeat of Friday’s violence when tens of thousands of Ram Rahim’s supporters set fire to cars and clashed with security forces in violence that began outside the court in the town of Panchkula and spread to other places.
- The police had deployed tear gas and water cannons, but with little impact. It was clear the authorities grossly underestimated the risk posed by the army of Ram Rahim’s devotees.
- Today, thousands of paramilitary troops and anti-riot police blocked all roads near the Rohtak prison. The Army has been on standby. Residents were warned to stay indoors and large gatherings were banned in Rohtak. All schools and colleges in Haryana were closed today.
- Senior members of Ram Rahim’s Dera Sacha Sauda sect were placed under detention as a precautionary measure. Over the weekend, more than 100 branches of the sect were sanitized and sealed across Haryana. Petrol cans and sticks were found stockpiled.
- The police in Sirsa, where Ram Rahim’s 1,000-acre main base is located, has been urging his devotees to emerge from the campus. Tens of thousands left Sirsa for their homes in buses since yesterday and the police said thousands still remain and are refusing to leave. The Dera chief’s followers insist the flamboyant Ram Rahim is innocent.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned yesterday that “violence is not acceptable in the nation, in any form”. But his party, the BJP, which governs Haryana, has come under heavy fire for failing to prevent the outbreak of violence and allowing the 50-year-old guru to travel in a luxury chopper to jail.
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