Sacrilege cases: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann grants permission for prosecution of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim

NEW DELHI: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann granted permission for prosecution of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2015 sacrilege cases, just three days after the Supreme Court revived the trial against him.
The Supreme Court had on Friday cleared the way for the trial of the 2015 sacrilege cases involving Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan vacated the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana high court on the trial and directing Ram Rahim to submit a response.
The apex court acted on a plea from the Punjab government and will hear the matter again in four weeks.
Punjab advocate general Gurminder Singh requested a stay on the high court order, which had halted the trial in three cases registered at Bajakhana Police Station in Faridkot, Punjab.
Recognising the need for scrutiny, the apex court issued a notice to Ram Rahim.
In February 2023, the Supreme Court transferred the trial against Ram Rahim and his followers from a court in Faridkot to Chandigarh.
Currently imprisoned in Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail, Ram Rahim is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his disciples, a conviction handed down in 2017.
Additionally, the Dera chief and three others were convicted in a 2019 murder case involving a journalist that occurred over 16 years ago.