Blurb: Apex court had on Friday stayed lifted the stay imposed by Punjab and Haryana high court on proceedings in the sacrilege cases
A day after the Supreme Court (SC) lifted the stay imposed by Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) on proceedings in the 2015 sacrilege cases, Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda claimed that the Punjab government had provided incomplete information to the court and that the sect will file a legal response with complete facts soon.
The apex court has issued a notice to Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, seeking his response within four weeks on Punjab’s petition challenging the high court order.
The controversy stems from the state government’s September 2018 notification withdrawing consent for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the cases, which were handed over to a special investigation team (SIT) of the state police. Ram Rahim had challenged this notification in the high court, demanding that the CBI continue its probe into the three sacrilege FIRs from 2015.
Dera spokesperson, advocate Jatinder Khurana, said, “Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has always upheld and respected all religions. The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Guru ji seeking a response on the petition filed by the Punjab government. This petition, presented by the Punjab government, contains incomplete information. We will soon submit a legal response in the Supreme Court with complete facts. Previously, when we presented all the facts before the high court, it placed a stay on the matter. We are confident that when we present all the facts before the Supreme Court, justice will be served.”
The sacrilege incidents began on June 1, 2015, when a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from a gurdwara in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village. Subsequently, three derogatory posters threatening sacrilege were found in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala villages. On 12 October 2015, torn pages of the Sikh holy book were found scattered near a gurdwara in Bargari village. These events sparked outrage across Punjab, leading to protests. Two demonstrators died and several were injured in subsequent police action. The incident’s mishandling contributed to the Shiromani Akali Dal government’s defeat in the 2017 assembly elections.
{{/usCountry}}The sacrilege incidents began on June 1, 2015, when a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from a gurdwara in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village. Subsequently, three derogatory posters threatening sacrilege were found in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala villages. On 12 October 2015, torn pages of the Sikh holy book were found scattered near a gurdwara in Bargari village. These events sparked outrage across Punjab, leading to protests. Two demonstrators died and several were injured in subsequent police action. The incident’s mishandling contributed to the Shiromani Akali Dal government’s defeat in the 2017 assembly elections.
{{/usCountry}}The SIT formed by the state concluded that the desecration was orchestrated at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters with Ram Rahim’s involvement. The SIT’s final report, submitted in April 2022, found no political involvement but alleged that Ram Rahim ordered the sacrilege as revenge for a perceived insult to sect followers by a Sikh preacher.
In February last year, the SC had transferred the trial against Ram Rahim and seven followers in three interlinked cases of Bargari sacrilege from a court in Faridkot to Chandigarh. The move came after dera follower Pardeep Singh Kataria, an accused in the 2015 Bargari sacrilege case, was shot dead on November 10, 2022, and other accused moved the apex court seeking transfer of the case.