The chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, a self-styled guru, was sentenced to 10 years in a historic judgment for the rape of two women followers. The 50-year-old chief pleaded for forgiveness after the ruling. He wept in the court after the sentence was given by Judge Jagdeep Singh in Haryana’s Rohtak. Judge Singh was flown into Rohtak by a government helicopter to rule out the judgment in a prison side hearing of the court.
The prison was guarded by thousands of soldiers on all sides and the army was called on standby in Ram Rahim verdict. Panchkula came to a standstill, as thousands of followers gathered on Friday anderupted in violence, leaving 38 dead and over 200 injured.
Here are the key highlights of the Ram Rahim convicted Rape Case:
1. Sources said that the two women who accused Ram Rahim of raping will appeal for more punishment.
2. Lawyers of Ram Rahim pleaded for relaxation in a sentence in view of his philanthropic work.
3. The Dera chief is proposed to be sent for medical examination and will, later on, be given a prison uniform and allotted a jail cell. He was given a special cell since Friday, bottled water, and an assistant.
4. Judge Jagdeep Singh gave the ruling of Ram Rahim verdict in the prison itself to prevent violence similar to the onethat happened after Ram Rahim was convicted on Friday in Panchkula.
5.A high alert has been called upon in Rohtak and people are warned to stay indoors. A large gathering is banned and mobile internet services have been suspended.
Over 1,50,000 followers of Ram Rahim gathered in Panchkula to protest against the court’s verdict on Friday. Violence broke out in the city, with police deploying tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. More than 100 branches of the sect were sealed across Haryana and devotees at his main base at Sirsa was urged to comeout.
Prime Minister NarendraModicondemned the violence, stating that any form of violence is not acceptable in the nation.
