Supreme Court Lifts Stay On Trial Proceedings Against Ram Rahim
Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh faced a major setback on Friday as the Supreme Court lifted the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the trial against him in connection with the 2015 Bargari sacrilege cases.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan also issued a notice to Ram Rahim, requiring his response within four weeks.
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Ram Rahim has been serving a 20-year sentence for rape and was also convicted of murder. The court made the judgment while hearing an appeal by Punjab against a ruling of the High Court that stayed proceedings against Ram Rahim in the sacrilege cases involving the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs.
The sacrilege incident which had taken place in the Bargari area of Punjab’s Faridkot district, involved the disappearance and alleged desecration of the revered Guru Granth Sahib in 2015, triggering outrage among the Sikh community.
A total of 12 people were named in three interlinked cases related to the theft and discretion of the copy of Guru Granth Sahib. The investigation was later handed over to the CBI in November by the pervious coalition government of Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Later in June 2019, a closure report was filed by CBI stating that no incriminating evidence was found against the followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda, however, both the ruling Congress and the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal rejected the report. Within months, the case was then handed over to a special investigation team.
Earlier this year, the trial proceeding against Ram Rahim was stayed by the Punjab and Haryana Court. This ruling was later challenged by the Punjab government, which brought the matter before the Supreme Court.
