Transfer trial against Ram Rahim, others to Chandigarh: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the transfer of the trial against Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim and seven Dera followers in three interlinked cases of sacrilege involving the Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari in 2015, from a court in Faridkot to Chandigarh.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the transfer of the trial against Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim and seven Dera followers in three interlinked cases of sacrilege involving the Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari in 2015, from a court in Faridkot to Chandigarh.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the transfer of the trial against Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim and seven Dera followers in three interlinked cases of sacrilege involving the Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari in 2015, from a court in Faridkot to Chandigarh. (PTI)

After the murder of Dera Sacha Sauda member Pardeep Singh Kataria, other “premis” (as the sect’s followers are known) accused of sacrilege, moved the Supreme Court , seeking the transfer of the trial in the three sacrilege cases to a court out of Punjab, citing a threat to their lives.

Kataria was shot dead by six shooters inside his shop at Hari Nau in Kotkapura on November 10.He was accused in two cases of sacrilege, the theft of a bir (copy) of Guru Granth Sahib and sacrilege at Bargari in Faridkot district. He was granted bail in the sacrilege cases on August 3, 2021.

A bench of justice Aniruddha Bose and justice Sudhanshu Dhulia on Tuesday disposed of the matter by allowing the plea of the accused to transfer the trial out of Punjab.

Five dera followers moved apex court

Confirming the development, a member of the special investigation team (SIT) probing the sacrilege cases said that all three cases related to Bargari have been transferred to Chandigarh.

The plea in the Supreme Court was filed by the five Dera followers accused of sacrilege, Sukhjinder Singh, alias Sunny, Shakti Singh, Ranjit Singh, alias Bhola, Nishan Singh and Baljit Singh, in December.

The accused sought the transfer of trials in three interlinked cases of sacrilege that were registered after a bir of Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village on June 1, 2015, derogatory posters were put up at Bargari on September 24, 2015, and torn pages of a bir were found scattered near Bargari gurdwara on October 12, 2015.

Dera chief named main conspirator

Trial in all three cases is pending in a Faridkot court at the stage of arguments on framing of charges.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been named as the main conspirator in the sacrilege cases by the SIT led by the inspector general of police SPS Parmar.

In 2020 too members of Dera Sacha Sauda also sought a transfer of the trial of 2015 Guru Granth Sahib sacrilege cases pending before the courts in Bathinda, Moga and Faridkot in Punjab to a court in Delhi or to a nearby state. However, the Supreme Court refused to shift the trial to another state, saying “no credible case for transfer of trial to alternative venues outside the state of Punjab is made out”.

Kataria was the seventh dera follower to have been killed since the sacrilege incidents of 2015 in Faridkot district.