Transfer move of Dera chief’s cases opposed
August 22nd, 2008 - 8:22 pm ICT by IANSChandigarh, Aug 22 (IANS) The Haryana government’s move to transfer criminal cases pending against Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh from a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court at Ambala to Sirsa court on security grounds has been opposed by the family of one of the victims.”The Haryana government is hand in glove with the Dera chief. They are not investigating the cases fairly and are trying to shield the main conspirator, Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, who has been chargesheeted by the CBI,” Anshul Chhatrapati, son of murdered journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, told media persons here Friday.
The sect chief is facing two charges of murder conspiracy, including the murder of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati in Oct 2001 and sect manager Ranjit Singh in July 2002, and one case of rape of a ’sadhvi’ (female religious follower).
“The Haryana government has filed an application in Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the transfer of cases against Gurmit Singh to a special CBI court in Sirsa from Ambala. They have also sought that the accused be exempted from personal appearance in the court during the hearings,” stated Anshul.
The Dera chief enjoys Z-plus security cover from the Haryana police. He has to come to Ambala for court hearings from Sirsa, 250 km away. The Haryana police had recently made a move to seek transfer of his cases to Sirsa, where his sect headquarters are located, in view of the serious threat to his life.
Anshul claimed that the Haryana police and government were collectively trying to save the sect chief in the name of security.
“We cannot expect fair trial in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. So it should be transferred to some other state. We have also written an application to CBI director in New Delhi and to the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard,” said Anshul.
The sect chief is scheduled to appear before the Ambala court Saturday to face charges of rape in the CBI court.
The Dera chief has been involved in a major controversy since April last year after he appeared attired like 10th Sikh guru, Gobind Singh.
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- Punjab, Haryana inching towards normalcy after violence (Second lead) - Feb 28, 2010
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- Violence in Punjab, Haryana after fresh case against Dera chief (Lead) - Feb 28, 2010
- CBI court frames murder charges against Dera chief - Dec 12, 2008
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- Man held for attack on Dera sect chief - Sep 07, 2008
- Dera chief questioned by Punjab Police for four hours (Lead) - Dec 03, 2008
Tags: anshul, cbi court, central bureau of investigation, chander, gurmit singh, haryana government, haryana police, murder conspiracy, personal appearance, punjab and haryana high court