ACTOR
NAME: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh
DATE OF BIRTH: 15th of August 1967.
PLACE OF BIRTH: Sri Gurusar Modia, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, India.
PARENTS: Maghar Singh (Father) and Nasib Kaur (Mother)
SIBLINGS: None
SPOUSE: Harjeet Kaur
CHILDREN: Three daughters (one adopted) & one son
SCHOOL(s): Not Known
COLLEGE(s): N/A
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION(s): 9th Standard.
PROFESSION: Spiritual Guru, Actor, Singer, Director, Social worker.
DESIGNATIONS: Chief of Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS).
DEBUT: Film – MSG: The Messenger of God (2015).
AWARD(s): N/A
NET WORTH: 1600 crore INR (approx.)
CHARGES: Convicted of rape, murder, criminal conspiracy,
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY:
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is a Spiritual Guru, Actor, Singer, Director, Social worker. He is head of the Indian social group Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) since 1990. As a head of DSS and social worker Ram Rahim has organised drives for blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol screening that have been recognised by Guinness World Records.
He also made movies and released several music albums, which typically revolve around himself and his teachings. Currently he faced 20 years imprisonment in the rape case and life imprisonment in the murder case.
His whole career is very prone towards controversies. Apart from rape and murder, he is also facing trails or prosecution for other murders and ordering forced castrations.
LEGAL BACKGROUND:
SADHVI’S RAPE CASE
Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh vs. CBI, (2015) 1 RCR (Criminal) 316 or MANU/PH/2873/2014, (17.12.2014 – PHHC)
After giving final approval from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The special CBI court Panchkula, in the judgement dated 25/08/2017, convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim guilty of rape and criminal intimidation in the two Sadhvi’s rape case.
The case was came in existence when in 2002, a woman wrote to the respective Chief Ministers of the states of Punjab and Haryana, and to the Union Home Minister, CBI, NHRC and the Punjab and Haryana High Court, describing an incident involving Ram Rahim. The High Court then directed the Sirsa district and sessions judge to probe the allegations made in the letter.
The matter was handed over to the CBI and was registered by CBI on 12.12.2002 u/s 376, 506 & 509 of IPC on the orders dated 24.9.2002 of the Hon’ble High Court of Punjab & Haryana at Chandigarh. Further the court announced 20 years rigorous imprisonment (10 years in each rape case) along with the fine of INR 30,20,000/-.
SIRSA JOURNALIST MURDER CASE
Central Bureau of Investigation vs. Gurmeet Ram Rahim
In the judgement dated 11/01/2019 the special CBI court Panchkula, pronounced a judgement and found Gurmeet Ram Rahim guilty of murder of the journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati in 2002.
The journalist was murdered after his newspaper, ‘Poora Sach’, published an anonymous letter narrating how women were being sexually exploited by Gurmeet Ram Rahim at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa.
This case was registered by CBI on the orders dated 10/11/2003 of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana. The case was earlier registered vide F.I.R. No. 685/02 at Police Station, Sirsa. The special CBI court awarded life imprisonment to the Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
RANJEET SINGH MURDER CASE
After the anonymous letter alleging, “Sexual exploitation of Sadhvi’s” by the Dera chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, got into circulation in May 2002, the Dera management launched an extensive search to find the person behind the circulation.
Ranjit Singh, a member of Dera’s influential 10-member committee, was found suspected of playing a role in the circulation of the letter. Later on in order to take revenge, in July 2002 he was shot dead by Ram Rahim’s followers as he was suspected.
The murder case was handed over to CBI in 2004. Recently the CBI special court, Panchkula again resume the proceedings of the case and the case is still pending in the court of law.
BLASPHEMY CASE; HURTING RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS
In May 2007, the Bathinda police registered a F.I.R against Dera Chief for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikh community. He was accused of blasphemy after he allegedly addressed a gathering in 2007 where he had dressed and performing an imitation of Guru Gobind Singh and administering “Jaam-e-Insan” in the same manner in which the Guru administered “amrit” to his followers during a ceremony at the sect’s Dera in Salabatpura in Bathinda district.
However the Bathinda district and sessions court dismissed the case after accepting the report submitted by the state seeking dismissal of the case. The Judge also accepted the revision plea filed by the Dera Chief against an order of a lower court rejecting the police report, seeking dismissal of the case.
Against the lower court orders in 2015 the petitioner filed a revision petition in Punjab and Haryana High Court. Recently in June 2020, a few Sikh groups have written to Punjab chief minister and urge to reopen the case. The case is still pending in the court of law.
CASTRATION CASE
In 2015, a petition has been filed by the Dera chief’s former follower Hans Raj Chauhan in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In the petition, the petitioner has alleged that around 400 male devotees belonging to many states including Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan were castrated at the Dera headquarters after its head falsely claimed that the “castration would lead to realisation of God through him.”
After hearing a petition the court ordered CBI to register a case. In 2018, the CBI had filed a charge sheet against Ram Rahim and two accomplices – Doctor Pankaj Garg and Doctor MP Singh, regarding the same.
However, later on the CBI court in the castration case granted bail to Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Further again the writ his been filed in Punjab and Haryana High Court and the matter is still pending in the court of law.
