Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Murder Cases Hearing In The Special CBI Court of Judge Jagdeep Singh
Highlights By: Balbir Singh Sooch-Sikh Vichar Manch
Hearing In 2 Murder Cases Against Dera Chief Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh In The Special CBI Court of Judge Jagdeep Singh
A. “Dera followers and functionaries had allegedly murdered Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and former Dera manager Ranjit Singh in 2002 on Chief Ram Rahim's orders. 11:34 AM (IST)
B. The court hearing will take place via a video call. 11:34 AM (IST)
C. Security has been tightened in Panchkula town, ahead of the hearing of two separate murder cases against Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the court of Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh”: Courtesy: http://timesofindia.
1. “Gurmeet Ram Rahim murder cases hearing: What happened in the courtroom today; On September 16, 2017 in the special CBI court of judge Jagdeep Singh in Panchkula
2. Trial in two murder cases against Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim concluded today in the special CBI court of judge Jagdeep Singh in Panchkula. Singh is the same judge who convicted Gurmeet in two rape cases on August 25, 2017: IndiaToday.in | Posted by Ashna Kumar: New Delhi, September 16, 2017 | UPDATED 12:59 IST
3. A special CBI court in Panchkula today concluded the hearing in two murder cases againstjailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who appeared before the bench via video conferencing.
4. Arguments in the cases, related to the murder of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapatiand former Dera manager Ranjit Singh, allegedly by functionaries and followers of the sect were heard for the last time in the court of special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh .
5. The same court had, on August 25, 2017 convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on two counts of rape of female disciples .
6. There are no reports of the Dera followers assembling in Panchkula for the hearing , unlike the rape case hearing where over one lakh followers had converged in the town. Chhatrapati and Ranjit Singh were murdered in 2002. The sect chief is an accused in both murder cases as these were carried out allegedly at his behest.
7. Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by the CBI court on August 28, 2017
8. HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED IN JUDGE JAGDEEP SINGH'S COURTROOM:
· Court proceedings end.
· Khatta Singh had changed his 2007 statement in 2012 out of fear: Khatta's lawyer.
"Honeypreet can be anywhere between Pune, Chhattisgarh and Himachal. Don't be surprised if she is found hiding in Sirsa itself," Singh added.
· Khatta Singh to India Today, "I was intimidated. I was warned about my children's safety by Ram Rahim. He was a powerful man. He could do anything. Today I want to give fresh statement."
· Last hearing in the two murder cases against Gurmeet Ram Rahim begins in Panchkula CBI court.
18. Khatta Singh had earlier changed his statements, which he says was done under pressure and due to threat to his life. The court will decide whether or not to use his testimony in the case on September 22, 2017. Courtesy: IndiaToday.in
The Highlights Forwarded By: Balbir Singh Sooch-Sikh Vichar Manch
· Ram Rahim joins the proceedings through video conference, refuses to use translator.
· Khatta Singh had earlier changed his statements, which he says was done under pressure and due to threat to his life. The court will decide whether or not to use his testimony in the case on September 22, 2017.
· Former driver of Ram Rahim, Khatta Singh appears before court as key witness.
· Meanwhile, a joint team of Haryana and Bihar Police are conducting raids at Bihar-Nepal border, looking for Honeypreet.
10. “Ram Rahim murder trial: CBI court agrees to hear witness Khatta Singh’s plea to re-record statement:
11. His lawyer claimed that in 2012, the Dera chief’s former driver had retracted his statement from 2007 out of fear for his life. IANS
12. A special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation in Haryana’s Panchkula on Saturday began to hear two murder cases in which Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is named as the main accused.
13. Ram Rahim appeared for the hearing via video-conferencing from a Rohtak jail, where he has been since the same court, on August 28, 2017 sentenced him to 20 years in prison for raping two women. The CBI has accused Ram Rahim of ordering the murder of two people for trying to expose him and the Dera’s activities.
14. During the hearing, Ram Rahim’s former driver Khatta Singh, who is the main witness in the case, moved an application in court requesting for permission to re-record his statement. Khatta Singh’s lawyer Navkiran Singh told reporters that his client, who had recorded his first statement in 2007, retracted it in 2012 out of fear for his life.
15. Khatta Singh claimed he was under pressure from “baba and his goons”, according to the Hindustan Times. The CBI court will take up his plea and announce its decision on September 22, 2017.
16. The first case relates to the murder of Dera member Ranjit Singh in 2002. He was allegedly killed by Dera followers on Ram Rahim’s orders as he suspected that Singh had a role in circulating the anonymous letter by a female follower. This letter had led the CBI to investigate the rape allegations against him.
17. The second case relates to the murder of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, also in 2002. Chhatrapati’s Poora Sach Hindi daily was the first to publish the anonymous letter accusing Ram Rahim of rape”. Courtesy: scroll.in.