Rampal Acquitted in Two Criminal Cases, but Won’t Walk Free Yet
Sant Rampal was arrested from his fortified Satlok Ashram near Barwala in Hisar in 2014.
The founder of Satlok Ashram in Haryana’s Hisar district, Sant Rampal, was acquitted in two criminal cases filed against him. He will, however, remain imprisoned as there are still two more pending cases of murder and sedition against the self-styled godman.
- A Hisar court acquitted self-styled godman Rampal in two criminal cases of obstructing official duty and holding people hostage
- There are two other cases of murder and sedition pending against him
- The court deferred the verdict to 29 August in view of the security situation ahead of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s verdict
Relief for Sant Rampal in Two Criminal Cases
A Hisar court has acquitted self-styled godman Rampal in two criminal cases citing lack of evidence. The two cases were filed against him were obstructing official duty and holding people hostage.
“It’s a victory of truth,” Rampal’s lawyer, AP Singh, said after the hearing.
On 17 November 2014, a case was registered against Rampal and his followers under sections 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public function), 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (Assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty) of the IPC.
Another case was filed against him and his followers on 18 November 2014 on a complaint of Sukhdev Singh of Ratia (Fatehabad) for rioting, unlawful assembly, disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant and wrongfully confining any person.
However, he will not be released from jail yet as there are two other cases of murder and sedition pending against him.
Proceedings Begin
Proceedings begin via video conferencing at Hisar Central Jail No 1 in the two criminal cases against self-styled godman, Sant Rampal.
Rampal's Turn After Ram Rahim
A day after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was awarded 20 years imprisonment in a rape case, yet another self-styled godman, Sant Rampal, is facing trial for two criminal cases filed against him.
Haryana’s Hisar court deferred till 29 August the verdict of two criminal cases against the head of the Satlok Ashram in Barwala, Hisar. Judicial Magistrate Mukesh Kumar deferred the date of hearing on 24 August, in light of the violent clashes by followers of Singh’s Dera Sacha Sauda.
Rampal was arrested from his fortified Satlok Ashram in 2014, with much difficulty, after nearly 15,000 of his followers formed a human chain around his ashram. At least five women and an infant lost their lives in violent clashes between security forces and Rampal’s followers.
A History of Violence
In 2006, Rampal courted controversy when he raised objection against the core text of Arya Samaj, calling certain parts “impractical and anti-social.” His comments led to a clash between the followers of the two sects on 12 July 2006. One person was shot dead in the clash, and 29 others were injured.
Rampal was charged with murder and attempt to murder and jailed for 22 months. He was released on bail in 2008, but missed the hearing 43 times.
In 2014, the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him, following which his bhakts blocked traffic. When the police tried to detain him on 9 November that year, the sect followers opened fire at security forces, lobbed petrol bombs and acid pouches, besides hurling stones and bricks outside the ashram.
Also Read: After Ram Rahim, Tracing Godmen Along Punjab & Haryana’s Borders
The authorities resorted to disconnecting water, power, and food supply to the ashram. By 18 November, the devotees finally started dissipating, some of them even claimed that they were held prisoners there to buttress the human shield.
The stand-off ended with the arrest of Rampal and 492 of his supporters on the night of 19 November, on charges including sedition, murder, attempt to murder, conspiracy, and hoarding illegal weapons.
Who is Sant Rampal?
Sant Rampal is the founder of the Satlok Ashram, a spiritual group in Haryana’s Hisar. According to reports, Rampal has the second-largest number of followers among self-style godmen in the country, preceded only by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
According to the Satlok Ashram website, the self-styled godman was born as Rampal Dass in Dhanana, Sonipat district, on 8 September 1951. He was employed as a junior engineer with the Haryana government till 2000, a year after he set up the Satlok Ashram. According to the website, Rampal’s teachings prohibit idol worship, superstition, consumption of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and meat.
The website claims that three false cases were framed against Rampal – in 2006, in May 2013, and in July 2014, respectively.
Also Read: Of Protests and Delayed Arrests: Violence in the Name of Babas
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