A CBI court in Panchkula has convicted Guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for rape, murder and intimidation.
Rockstar guru and `superman’ Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was today convicted by the CBI court in Panchkula for rape, murder and intimidation.
The quantum of punishment will be announced on August 28, Monday. He is likely to get the maximum term of seven years in prison.
The court pronounced the verdict amidst tight security and under the cover of para military forces and the Army.
As soon as the news of the verdict trickled out, there was a pall of gloom over 1.5 lakh supporters who had thronged Panchkula.
Sources said Ram Rahim was taken into judicial custody and whisked away in a police van.
But the first priority of the Haryana government seemed to be security. Skirmishes broke out after the pronouncement of the verdict with supporters of Ram Rahim mainly targeting OB vans of media houses.
The army was called in to help the para military forces.
The case dates back to 2002, when Ram Rahim was accused of rape and sexual exploitation. An anonymous letter, reportedly written by a sadhvi, alleged sexual exploitation of woman followers in the dera.
Amidst daunting opposition, the CBI built a water tight case based on circumstantial evidence.
Claiming to be a resident of Punjab, the anonymous sadhvi said she was an arts graduate who had been inspired by her parents to become a sadhvi. She said she along with 40-45 other girls was doing service in the dera for years.
Two years after she had become a sadhvi, Ram Rahim called her to his residence inside the dera, where he was watching television with a revolver by his side. She alleged that she was threatened and then raped by him.
The woman alleged she was then repeatedly raped by the dera chief. He reportedly told her that no authority could prosecute him as he enjoyed political clout. She later came to know that other women followers were also exploited before and after her.
But finally, the law seems to have caught up with a Guru who claimed he had supernatural powers.
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