Gurmeet Ram Rahim Acquitted in Journalist Murder: P&H High Court Slams CBI Coercion

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, overturning a 2019 special CBI court conviction that had sentenced him to life imprisonment. The detailed 113-page judgment, made public on March 9, 2026, delivered a scathing indictment of the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) probe, particularly highlighting the agency's alleged coercion of a key witness. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Vikram Aggarwal, while hearing appeals against the 2019 conviction, observed that it appeared the sole witness of the alleged conspiracy, Khatta Singh, was coerced by the CBI into making a statement implicating Ram Rahim. The High Court noted that this coercion likely occurred because the CBI was under considerable pressure from the High Court itself to conclude the investigation in a timely manner. The Court had, in April 2007, reprimanded the CBI for its slow progress in the investigation, following which the agency assured the court of a swift conclusion. The judgment meticulously scrutinized Khatta Singh's testimony, finding it unreliable and inconsistent. The court pointed out that Khatta Singh had remained silent for several years after the incident and subsequently changed his statements multiple times during the course of the investigation and trial. He was described as "tossing from one side to the other like a ping pong ball." The Bench rejected the argument that a threat from the Dera prevented the witness from deposing earlier, stating that if he was under threat, it was unclear why it only applied to the Chhatrapati case and not the Ranjit Singh murder case, where he had implicated Ram Rahim. Furthermore, the High Court criticized the CBI for its overall investigative methodology, expressing "grave concern that a premier Investigating Agency adopted this kind of methodology with a view to succeed in the matter." The court emphasized that the agency's endeavor should have been to uncover the truth. Another significant flaw identified by the High Court was the CBI's failure to examine a crucial witness – the police officer (SI Ram Chander) who had recorded Chhatrapati's statement at PGI Rohtak shortly before his death. The High Court considered this omission extremely strange, stating that this officer's evidence would have been of paramount importance, especially since the charge against Ram Rahim was criminal conspiracy. Journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, editor of the evening daily 'Poora Sach', was shot outside his residence in Sirsa on October 24, 2002, and later succumbed to his injuries on November 21, 2002. His newspaper had published anonymous letters alleging sexual exploitation of women followers at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters. The case was transferred to the CBI in 2003 (or 2006, sources vary on the exact year of transfer to CBI but consistently mention CBI taking over after Haryana Police probe was deemed flawed). While acquitting Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the High Court upheld the conviction and life sentences of the three other accused in the Chhatrapati murder case: Kuldeep, Nirmal, and Krishan Lal. The court concluded that the prosecution was unable to prove its case against Ram Rahim beyond a reasonable doubt, stating that the benefit of doubt must go to the accused when two possibilities (guilt or innocence) are reasonably possible. This acquittal marks another significant legal development for Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who remains incarcerated. He is currently serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, a conviction delivered in 2017. This judgment follows another acquittal in May 2024, when the same High Court acquitted him and four others in the 2002 murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh, also citing "tainted and sketchy" investigations. Anshul Chhatrapati, the son of the slain journalist, expressed his disappointment with the verdict, calling it a "major setback." He stated his intention to challenge the High Court's decision in the Supreme Court, vowing to continue the legal battle for justice for his father.

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