Ram Rahim sentenced to 20 years in jail for rape, fined Rs 30 lakh in 2 cases

Chandigarh/Rohtak: Amid high drama, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday sentenced by a CBI court to 20 years in jail — two sentences of 10 years each for two separate rapes that will run one after the other. Just as the punishment was announced by CBI special judge Jagdeep Singh in a makeshift court at Rohtak’s Sunaria prison, the 50-year-old self-styled “godman” broke down, sought forgiveness with folded hands and squatted on the floor, refusing to leave, said sources who witnessed the proceedings.

Tight security arrangements in Rohtak and other parts of Haryana and Punjab ensured that there were no violent protests by Ram Rahim’s followers after the verdict. The situation remained calm in contrast to the violence unleashed by his followers in Panchkula and Sira, among other areas, on Friday after he was held guilty. A total of 38 people were killed in the rioting and arson.

A luxury car was allegedly set on fire on Monday evening at Kotli village near Sirsa around the time the Dera chief’s sentence was announced in court, the police said, adding they were probing if the incident involved Dera followers.

Read: Punjab to bill Dera Sacha Sauda for Central forces

All eyes now are on Hisar where a judicial magistrate, Mukesh Kumar, is likely to deliver a verdict on Tuesday in two criminal cases slapped against another controversial godman, Sant Rampal, who is judicial custody since his arrest from his fortified Satlok Ashram near Barwala in Hisar in 2014. Six people were killed when his followers attacked the police at the time of his arrest.

The Dera chief has been punished for rape and criminal intimidation. He is also facing trial in two separate murder cases in 2002 in which a Dera manager and Sirsa-based journalist were killed.

The CBI judge, who handed down the punishment to Ram Rahim, had flown by helicopter to Rohtak from Panchkula. The court announced the sentence against the cult guru at around 4 pm and slapped on him a fine of Rs 30 lakhs — Rs 15 lakhs for each of the two cases. Out of this, Rs 14 lakhs each will go to the two victims who were part of Ram Rahim’s sect and were coerced into having sex with him 15 years ago.

Advocate S.K. Garg Narwana (centre), the Dera chief’s lawyer, talks to the media after the sentencing at Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail. (Photo: AP)

The CBI has successfully kept the two victims’ identity under wraps since 2002 when the rapes came to light through an anonymous letter by two women, residing in the Dera as sadhvis, alleging rape by the Dera chief. The Punjab and Haryana high court had ordered a CBI probe after taking cognisance of the letter.

The verdict on Monday was followed by hours of confusion over the quantum of sentence as the initial reports indicated that Ram Rahim had been handed down a combined punishment of 10 years in the two rape cases.

Read: Villagers near Dera ‘ready’ to face violence

Haryana bureaucrat V. Umashankar, who was sent from Gurugram to Sirsa to assist in security arrangements, said: “There was no report of any untoward incident and I hope that peace will be maintained.”

Mr Umashankar, who is posted in the civic agency in Gurugram, said the deputy commissioner of Sirsa had ordered the attachment of the accounts of Dera Sacha Sauda and compensation to people affected by the violence earlier, which may be given from these as per court orders.

Later, CBI spokesman Abhishek Dayal clarified that Ram rahim had been sentenced to two consecutive 10-year jail terms.

During arguments before sentencing, the prosecution said no leniency should be shown to the convict and demanded a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for him. The defence sought leniency on the ground that the Dera chief was a social worker who had worked for the welfare of people. Ram Rahim’s lawyers said they would appeal against the conviction and punishment in the high court. The CBI is also likely to see enhancement of the Dera chief’s jail term.

The Dera chief is also known for his stints as a rock musician, actor and filmmaker. His supporters claim the Dera chief used these means of entertainment to keep the youth away from social evils like drugs and alcohol.

After the conviction of Ram Rahim on Friday, his followers torched buses, cars and damaged public property in Haryana, Punjab and parts of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Ram Rahim was airlifted from the Panchkula court complex to Rohtak jail to avoid confrontation with his followers who had come onto the roads.

The vandalism and violence angered the high court which severely criticised not only Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar but also Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allowing a massive buildup of Dera followers ahead of the hearing on the Dera chief’s conviction in Panchkula.

A total of 52 cases were registered and 926 people arrested over the violence and burning of 76 vehicles since Friday. Dera spokesmen Aditya Insan and Dhiman Insan were booked under sedition provisions.

Ahead of the pronouncement of sentence against Ram Rahim, the police and 23 companies of paramilitary forces were deployed in Rohtak and Army personnel were put on standby on Sunday.

Schools and colleges across Haryana and Punjab were ordered shut on Monday. Mobile Internet services, including 2G, 3G, 4G, CDMA and GPRS, all SMS services and dongle services provided on mobile networks, except voice calls, were suspended in both the states till 11.30 am on Tuesday.

In Punjab, large number of weapons like guns, revolvers and 52 petrol bombs have been recovered in a crackdown after the mayhem caused by the Dera chief’s followers, a spokesman said in Chandigarh on Monday.

At least 133 people have been arrested for defying police orders, while 62 were taken into preventive custody, the spokesman said.

Following the conviction of Ram Rahim on Friday, there were 28 incidents of arson, besides damage to state, Central government offices or properties in seven districts of the Malwa region.

Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh said that in addition to the list of damaged property, the state would also file before the high court a claim for recovery from Dera accounts the expenditure incurred in the deployment of Central armed forces.

On the continuation of curfew, the chief minister said the state government would review the situation again on Tuesday before taking any decision on lifting the curfew imposed in some areas as a precautionary measure. Night curfew continued in five districts — Mansa, Bathinda, Faridkot, Barnala and Samana — and Patran subdivision of Patiala district, he said.

The Army has been deployed in Mansa and Muktsar districts as a preventive measure, he added.