The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four others on a plea by the CBI challenging the May 28, 2024, Punjab and Haryana High Court judgment acquitting them in the 2002 murder of sect’s former manager Ranjit Singh.

Seeking response from Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four others, a bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar tagged the CBI’s plea with an already pending appeal by the complainant – father of the deceased Ranjit Singh – who had earlier challenged the acquittal of five by the High Court order.

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The bench posted the matter for hearing before a bench headed by Justice Bela Trivedi which had issued notice in the appeal by the father of the deceased.

The bench today posted the matter before a bench headed by Justice Bela M Trivedi as the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the CBI informed the court that earlier on September 9, 2024, a bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice SC Sharma have issued notice in an appeal by the deceased Ranjit Singh’s father against the acquittal of five by the High Court.

The bench in its order said, “Our attention has been drawn to the office report dated 9.9.24 of the order passed by bench of Justice Trivedi, issue notice and tag with SLP (crl) no.012607/2024, the SLP be listed before the bench presided by Justice Bela Trivedi.”

The High Court while acquitting Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four others had reversed the October 18, 2021, trial court order convicting the five and awarding them life imprisonment.

The other convicts who were sentenced to life imprisonment by trial court on October 18, 2021 along with Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh are Avtar Singh, Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, and Sabdil Singh. One of the accused, Inder Sain, had died during the trial in 2020.

The Dera manager, Ranjit Singh, was shot dead when he was working in his fields in his native village in Kurukshetra district of Haryana on July 10, 2002.

On November 10, 2003, the High Court ordered a CBI investigation into the case that was earlier registered at Police Station Sadar, Thanesar, Kurukshetra.

When the matter reached the High Court against trial court order, it found that the CBI failed to establish the motive of the crime and rather, the prosecution case was “shrouded in doubts”.

Ram Rahim is lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak, Haryana, and serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples.

According to the CBI chargesheet, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh suspected Ranjit Singh of circulating an anonymous letter among the Dera followers accusing Ram Rahim of sexually exploiting female disciples at the Dera. It was based on this letter that a rape case was registered against Ram Rahim in 2002.