Dera chief, 4 others acquitted in murder case

The Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim and four others in the murder case of Dera manager Ranjit Singh. In 2021, a special CBI court found Ram Rahim and other accused in the case guilty of Singh's murder, sentencing them to life imprisonment. The Sirsa-head quartered sect chief, who is also serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, is currently lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak, Haryana. Former Dera manager Ranjit Singh was shot dead 19 years ago, on July 10, 2002 at Khanpur Kolian village in Haryana's Kurukshetra. It was suspected that he was murdered because of his alleged role in circulating a letter which narrated how women were being sexually exploited by the sect head at the Dera headquarters. Apart from the Dera chief, the other accused in the case were Avtar Singh, Jasbir Singh, Sabdil Singh and Krishan Lal.