Punjab sacrilege cases: Dera chief appears before Faridkot court via video-conference

Special investigation team (SIT) led by IG SPS Parmar, named Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim as the main accused in the Bargari sacrilege and derogatory posters’ cases last month

Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim appeared before the court of the Faridkot chief judicial magistrate (CJM) on Wednesday in connection with two cases related to the Bargari sacrilege incident.

This is the first time the dera head has appeared before the trial court in connection with the 2015 sacrilege cases.

The court of CJM Monica Lamba supplied the documents to the counsel of the dera chief.

The special investigation team (SIT) led by the inspector general of police Surinder Pal Singh Parmar, probing the 2015 sacrilege incidents, named Gurmeet Ram Rahim as the main accused in the Bargari sacrilege and derogatory posters’ cases last month and filed chargesheets against him in both the cases. Following this, the Faridkot court issued production warrants against the dera head through video-conferencing for May 4.

Last year, Ram Rahim’s production warrants were issued for his physical appearance in the Faridkot court in the case of the theft of a bir (copy of Guru Granth Sahib) from Bur Jawahar Singh Wala village. However, the orders were stayed by the Punjab and Haryana high court considering the law and order situation. The SIT was asked to question him at Sunaria jail in Rohtak, where he is lodged at present. The SIT interrogated him in the jail in November and December last year.