Punjab-Haryana High Court Resumes Hearing in Gurmeet Ram Rahim Case After 4 Months

The Punjab-Haryana High Court has resumed hearings in the high-profile Ram Chandra Chhatrapati murder case, in which Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court.

Hearing Resumes After Safekeeping of Verdict
The case had previously undergone full hearings in the High Court, which had reserved its verdict for four months. On 30 January, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Vikram Agrawal issued an order reopening the hearings, citing new facts that required careful examination and clarification. The final hearing on the appeals had originally concluded on 25 September 2025.

Background of the Case
The murder of journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati, editor of the newspaper Poora Sach, occurred in 2002 in Sirsa. On 17 January 2019, a special CBI court in Panchkula convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim and three others, sentencing them to life imprisonment and a fine of ₹50,000. The Dera chief was held responsible for orchestrating the journalist’s murder.

Defence Claims
Gurmeet Ram Rahim challenged his conviction in the High Court, claiming he had been falsely implicated by the CBI. The defence argued that the first chargesheet filed in 2002 did not include his name, and he was later added out of vindictive motives. The petition further contended that the investigation failed to prove he had ever read the victim’s newspaper, which published only evening summaries of news already printed elsewhere, negating any motive for enmity.

Prosecution Opposition
The CBI and lawyers representing the deceased journalist’s family strongly opposed the Dera chief’s plea. Following the final hearing in September last year, the High Court had reserved its judgment.

Current Status
Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who was also sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two devotees, has been in Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail since August 2017. He is currently on parole and residing at his Sirsa ashram.