Ram Rahim acquitted in Ramchandra Chhatrapati murder case, High Court upholds life sentence for three convicts

Panchkula (The Uttam Hindu): In the high-profile murder case of journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday partially modified the verdict of the CBI court and acquitted Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. However, the court upheld the life imprisonment sentence of three other convicts — Kuldeep, Nirmal and Kishan Lal.

The High Court delivered the verdict after hearing appeals filed by the accused against the decision of the special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation. After examining the available evidence and arguments in detail, the court ruled that the charges against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh were not sufficiently proven and granted him the benefit of doubt.

At the same time, the court found the evidence against the other three accused strong enough to establish their involvement in the crime. As a result, their conviction and life sentences were maintained.

The case is related to the murder of journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati, who had published reports in his newspaper highlighting serious allegations linked to the Dera. In 2002, he was shot dead following those reports. The incident triggered strong reactions across the region and the investigation was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

After a long trial, the special CBI court had earlier convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh along with the other accused and sentenced them to life imprisonment. All the convicts later challenged the verdict in the High Court.

During the hearing, the High Court observed that the prosecution failed to present evidence strong enough to prove Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s involvement in the criminal conspiracy beyond reasonable doubt. However, the evidence against Kuldeep, Nirmal and Kishan Lal clearly established their role in the crime, leading the court to uphold their conviction and life imprisonment.