Life imprisonment to four private persons including then chief of Dera Sacha Sauda in a case related to murder of a journalist...
Chandigarh: 17th Jan'19: Niel Bhalinder Singh: The Special Judge, CBI Cases, Panchkula (Haryana) has today sentenced Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, then Chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa; Krishan Lal; Kuldeep Singh and Nirmal Singh, all private person in a case related to murder of Sh. Ram Chander Chhatarpati, Editor of a Sirsa based newspaper as under:-
Accused Gurmeet Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh & Krishan Lal
Section
Imprisonment
u/s 120-B IPC r/w 302 IPC
Life Imprisonment and pay fine of Rs.50,000/- each
Accused Nirmal Singh
u/s 25 Arms Act,
RI for three years and pay fine Rs.5,000/-
Accused Krishan Lal
u/s 29 Arms Act
RI for three years and pay fine Rs.5,000/-
As Sh. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh already undergone imprisonment in Case RC-5(S)2002/SIU-XV/Chg. The Court has pronounced that the sentence of Life Imprisonment will start after the expiration of earlier sentence as per provision of Section 427 Cr.PC. CBI had registered the case on the orders dated 10.11.2003 of Hon'ble High Court of Punjab and Haryana and taken over the investigation of the case which was earlier registered vide FIR No. 685/02 at Police Station Sirsa.
Ram Chander Chhatrapati murder case
It was alleged that Sh. Ram Chander Chhatarpati, a journalist of Sirsa was running a newspaper called 'Poora Sach'. He was shot at on 24.10.2002 in the evening by Kuldeep Singh and Nirmal Singh, carpenters in Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa, at his residence in Sirsa. He expired on 21.11.2002. The State Police arrested Kuldeep Singh & Nirmal Singh. A walkie-talkie belonging to said Dera and a revolver belonging to accused Krishan Lal, Prabandhak of said Dera was recovered.
A chargesheet was filed against Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal by State Police in the Court of CJM, Sirsa on 5.12.2002. The son of victim filed Criminal Misc. Petition No. 7931-M of 2003 in the Hon'ble High Court of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh alleging involvement of Sh. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the murder of his father and prayed for transfer of investigation to CBI.
After thorough investigation, CBI found the role of Sh. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh & other accused Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh, Krishan Lal and filed a chargesheet against them in the Court of SJMIC, CBI, Ambala (now at Panchkula). The Trial Court found the accused guilty and convicted them on 11.01.2019.
