I have renounced the world, can’t pay Rs 30 lakh: Dera chief

Chandigarh: The counsel representing rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim on Monday told the Punjab and Haryana high court that the Dera chief has “renounced the world” and is not in a position to pay the Rs 30 lakh fine.

A special CBI court had asked Ram Rahim to deposit the fine with a bank within two months of his sentencing.

As the case came up for hearing, Ram Rahim’s counsel told the division bench of justice Surya Kant and justice Sudhir Mittal that the Dera head had “renounced the world” and was not in a position to pay the Rs 30 lakh costs imposed by the trial court to be paid to the rape survivors.

Appearing for Ram Rahim, senior advocate S.K. Garg Narwana said the Dera properties had been “attached” and the Dera head was not in a position to pay the amount.

Taking up the matter, the bench admitted the appeal filed by Ram Rahim against his conviction. Another appeal filed by the rape victims was also admitted by the high court bench. The bench asked Ram Rahim to deposit the compensation amount, awarded by the trial court to the victims, as FDR in a nationalised bank in the Panchkula court’s name. The amount would be disbursed only after the court order.

The Dera chief was seeking directions for setting aside the August 25 order vide which he was convicted of raping two Dera followers and the subsequent order of August 28 sentencing him to 20 years.

Challenging the CBI special court verdict, Ram Rahim has submitted that the prosecution — the CBI had not conducted his potency test. Ram Rahim had claimed before the trial court that he was not virile since 1990, much before allegations of rape were levelled against him.