The Punjab government on Tuesday gave sanction to prosecute Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the three sacrilege cases of 2015 that had triggered widespread protests from the Sikh community, leading to clashes and the death of two agitators in police firing. The sanction clears the way to start the trial against Ram Rahim.

The development comes three days after the Supreme Court lifted the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the trial against Ram Rahim Singh in the sacrilege cases. The order came on a petition filed by the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government.

The Punjab government also granted sanction to prosecute three national committee members of the outfit -- Pardeep Kler, Harsh Dhuri and Sandeep Bareta.

The cases relate to the theft of a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari, Faridkot district, in 2015, and its desecration. On June 1, 2015, a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from a gurdwara in Faridkot. Days later, the torn pages of the holy book were found in Bargari, triggering widespread protests in Faridkot.

As the protests turned violent, the police opened fire, killing two people in Behbal Kalan. Several others were injured in Kotkapura.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by ADGP Surinder Pal Singh Parmar, indicted Ram Rahim in July 2022 as one of the main conspirators in the sacrilege cases. The cases were registered under Section 295 of the IPC (hurting religious feelings). Cases registered under this section require government sanction for prosecution.

The Dera Sacha Sauda chief is already serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of murder and rape. He remains lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak even though he has been granted paroles on several occasions, mostly coinciding with Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls.

Source: India Today