Ram Rahim to receive punishment for rape conviction through video-conferencing

The Dera Sacha Sauda chief was held guilty of rape in a case registered after a written complaint said he had sexually exploited two female followers.

The hearing for deciding the quantum of punishment to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, convicted in a rape case by a CBI court in Panchkula, will take place through video-conferencing on August 28.

Supporters of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh throw stones at security forces next to burning vehicles in Panchkula on Friday. (AFP)

The judgment, holding Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh guilty of raping two female followers, mentions that the hearing will be held through video-conferencing, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sources said.

The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on August 28, CBI counsel HPS Verma told reporters outside the court in Haryana.

The punishment can be a jail term not less than seven years but may even extend to life imprisonment.

At least 28 people were killed and more than 250 injured in the violence that left a trail of destruction and vandalism.

CBI judge Jagdeep Singh held the 50-year-old Dera Sacha Sauda chief guilty of rape in the case that was registered on the basis of an anonymous written complaint in 2002 that he had sexually exploited two female followers.