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Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh cleared of 2002 journalist murder case
The dera head, along with three others, was convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment by a special CBI court in Panchkula in January 2019.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
The dera head, along with three others, was convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Panchkula in January 2019.
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On Saturday, the high court bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Vikram Aggarwal set aside the CBI court’s verdict against Ram Rahim, even as it upheld the conviction of the three others –– Krishan Lal, Nirmal Singh and Kuldeep Singh alias Kala –– in the case.
“The high court division bench headed by chief justice Sheel Nagu on Saturday acquitted him (Ram Rahim) in the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. The bench, however, has upheld the conviction of three others in the case,” dera spokesperson Jitender Khurana said.
A detailed order is awaited.
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To be sure, Ram Rahim will continue to remain behind bars in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail where he is serving a 20-year sentence, awarded in 2017, for the rape of two disciples. While serving his sentence, the Dera chief has been granted parole 15 times since his conviction in 2017, the latest being a 40-day furlough he received on January 5, 2026.
Chhatrapati was shot from point-blank range outside his house in Haryana’s Sirsa district on October 24, 2002. The attack came months after his newspaper published an anonymous letter detailing the alleged systematic sexual exploitation of sadhvis (female disciples) by Ram Rahim at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa.
A year after his death, Chhatrapati’s family approached the high court seeking a transfer of the case to the CBI. After the probe was taken over by CBI, the agency filed a charge in July 2007, naming Ram Rahim as co-conspirator. The CBI, in its charge sheet, said that dera manager Krishan Lal had given the revolver used in the attack and a walkie-talkie to the two shooters –– Nirmal Singh and Kuldeep Singh alias Kala –– in the presence of the Dera chief.
Dera spokesperson Khurana hailed the high court verdict, saying: “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...”
The victim’s son Anshul Chhatrapati, meanwhile, said the family will challenge the ruling. “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,” he added.
