Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, one of the most controversial self-styled gurus in India, was acquitted last week in the murder case of a manager of his cult, Dera Sacha Sauda. The Punjab and Haryana High Court overturned Ram Rahim Singh’s conviction in the Ranjit Singh murder case.
A special CBI Court convicted Ram Rahim Singh and four others in 2021 for murder and criminal conspiracy, 19 years after Ranjit Singh was shot dead. Ranjit Singh was a former disciple of the sect guru, who has over the years gained notoriety over criminal charges and allegations of exploitation levelled against him.
A division bench of Justices Sureshwar Thakur and Lalit Batra ruled on 28 May that the prosecution failed to establish a clear motive for Ranjit Singh’s murder, casting a major doubt on the narrative presented by the prosecution. This lack of a compelling motive, among other reasons, against Ram Rahim undermined the prosecution's case from the outset, raising questions about Ram Rahim Singh’s alleged involvement. Ram Rahim Singh appears to have benefited from several loopholes in the investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The murder dates back to 10 July 2002. It was alleged that Ranjit Singh was murdered in a village in Kurukshetra in Haryana for his role in circulating a letter that disclosed how women (Sadhvis) were being sexually exploited by the chief of the sect, Ram Rahim, at the Dera headquarters.