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HC acquits dera chief Ram Rahim in journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati murder case
Punjab and Haryana high court sets aside 2019 life sentence awarded by CBI court; two other convicts see their convictions upheld.
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Saturday acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
The dera head, along with three others, was originally convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula on January 17, 2019. The lower court had sentenced them to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹50,000. While the high court bench, comprising chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Vikram Aggarwal, set aside the verdict against Ram Rahim, it upheld the conviction of at least two other accused in the case.
The bench pronounced the order in open court on Saturday morning.
The detailed judgment, which will clarify the specific grounds for the acquittal, is expected to be released later today.
Chhatrapati was shot at point-blank range outside his house on October 24, 2002. The attack came months after his newspaper published an anonymous letter detailing the systematic sexual exploitation of sadhvis (female disciples) by the dera chief.
Ram Rahim and his co-accused moved the high court in 2019, challenging the CBI court’s order and alleging false implication.
Following the ruling, dera spokesperson Jitender Khurana issued a statement welcoming the verdict. “From the beginning, we have consistently maintained that Guruji (Gurmeet Ram Rahim) had no involvement in this matter. We welcome and respect the decision of the high court. He has always had the highest respect and unwavering faith in the judicial system of the country... and this trust will continue in the future as well.”
Anshul Chhatrapati, the son of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, said: “The high court judgment is a blow to us, but we respect the decision. However, we will explore legal remedies available to us and approach the Supreme Court against this judgment. This case has reached this stage only due to the intervention of the courts. My father had no enmity with the person whose revolver was used. He was publishing articles about Ram Rahim. Our battle was against Ram Rahim, and we have always maintained that he was behind it.”
Despite this acquittal, the dera chief remains behind bars in Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail. He is serving a 20-year sentence, awarded in 2017, for the rape of two disciples. He was granted a 40-day parole on January 5, 2026, following which he returned to the jail. It was the 15th time he was released since his conviction in 2017.
In May 2024, the high court had similarly acquitted him in the 2002 murder case of former dera manager Ranjit Singh.
He remains an accused in multiple cases concerning the 2015 sacrilege incidents in Punjab, which are still under investigation.
