A court awarded life imprisonment to Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for the murder of Ranjit Singh. 

A special CBI court in Panchkula awarded the sentence to all the accused, including Singh and four others. A fine of Rs 31 lakh has also been levied on Singh and Rs 50,000 on the remaining accused.

Dera chief sought leniency in sentence 

Ahead of the sentence, the Dera chief had requested the court for leniency. In his plea, Singh had mentioned the philanthropic work he has done in the past. The controversial godman is currently serving a 20-year jail term for raping two women followers. Not only this, but Singh is also serving life imprisonment for murdering journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. 

Ranjit Singh’s murder took place in 2002 

A resident of Khanpur Kolian village in Kurukshetra, Ranjit Singh was shot dead on July 10, 2002. He was a follower of the Dera but had upset Singh, which caused a rift between the two. A case in connection to the murder was lodged at the Sadar police station in Thanesar, Kurukshetra. The CBI took over the probe in 2003 and filed a charge sheet in July, 2007. 

On October 8, 2021, a CBI court convicted Singh and four others – Sabdil Singh, Krishan Lal, Avtar Singh and Jasbir Singh – in this case.