Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann approves prosecution of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in sacrilege case

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has approved the prosecution of disgraced Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2015 sacrilege cases, ANI reported on October 22. This comes after the Supreme Court last week lifted the stay imposed on the 2015 case trial by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The SC bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan on October 18 paved the way for Punjab's trial in the 2015 sacrilege cases against Ram Rahim. The bench has also directed Ram Rahim to file his response within four weeks, as per a PTI report.

The top court passed the order on a plea of the Punjab government challenging the HC order which had stayed trial in three cases registered at Bajakhana Police Station in Faridkot, Punjab. Notably, in February 2023, the SC transferred the trial in these cases against Ram Rahim and his followers to a court in Chandigarh from a court in Faridkot, it added.

Ram Rahim Sought CBI Probe

Ram Rahim moved the HC challenging the validity of the state government's September 6, 2018 notification, which withdrew consent to the CBI to probe these cases and sought a direction for the central agency's investigation.

On March 11, 2024, the HC said, "Since the issues are being referred for consideration by a larger bench, it is deemed appropriate to issue an interim direction to balance the equities. Hence, further proceedings before the trial court against the petitioner (Ram Rahim), in the above-said sacrilege cases, shall remain stayed till further orders."

The HC referred the matter to a larger bench to determine whether the state government's consent to the CBI probe can be withdrawn at a later stage after the agency has registered the case for investigation.

What Are The Sacrilege Cases?

Three alleged incidents of sacrilege of the holy Guru Granth Sahib occurred in June-October 2015 in Faridkot, Punjab, and an FIR dated June 2, 2015, was registered under the provisions of the IPC at the local police station.

A priest at Gurudwara Singh Sahib at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala Village alleged the scripture of Shri Guru Granth Sahib had been desecrated.

The second incident of sacrilege reportedly occurred on September 24-25, 2015, wherein posters containing derogatory remarks about the sacred Guru Granth Sahib and other Sikh religious leaders were found pasted outside the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)-managed Gurudwara in Bargari. An FIR was thereafter registered at the Bajakhana police station in Faridkot.

A third incident pertained to the recovery of 112 torn pages of holy Guru Granth Sahib around the Gurudwara situated at village Bargari on October 12, 2015, in the district and an FIR was registered at the Bajakhana police station.

The three FIRs are together called the "sacrilege cases".

(With inputs from PTI)