Punjab & Haryana High Court Refers Ram Rahim's Plea Seeking CBI Probe In 2015 Sacrilege Cases To Larger Bench

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday referred Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's plea seeking CBI probe into the 2015 Sacrilege case, to a larger bench.

Justice Vinod S. Bhardwaj while referring the petition to a larger bench, to determine if the consent given by the State Government for a CBI probe can be withdrawn later, stayed further proceedings. A detailed order with questions framed is awaited.

In 2021, Ram Rahim moved High Court seeking a fair and impartial investigation in three different incidents of sacrilege of Shri Guru Granth Sahib between June to October 2015 in Punjab, wherein he is arrayed as an accused by SIT formed by the Punjab Government.

The Dera chief has challenged the Punjab Government's notification wherein it withdrew its consent to transfer the probe to CBI. The plea also sought directions to CBI to continue with the investigation in the Sacrilege cases.

Background

At the centre of the controversy are a series of desecration incidents in the state of Punjab that began with the theft of a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib from a gurdwara in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village of Faridkot in June 2015. Subsequently, in September, handwritten sacrilegious posters against the holy book sprung up in Jawahar Singh Wala and Bargari villages in Faridkot. In October of the same year, several torn angs (pages) of the holy book were found strewn near a gurudwara in Bargari. 

As a result of this, massive protests erupted in the state of Punjab. The state police open fired to on the protestors, resulting in the death of two agitators resulting in further social and political unrest.

A total of 12 people were named in three interlinked cases related to the theft and desecration of the copy of Guru Granth Sahib. The investigation was handed over to the CBI in November by a previous coalition government of Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party.

In June 2019, the CBI filed a closure report stating that no incriminating evidence was found against followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda, but both the ruling Congress and opposition Shiromani Akali Dal rejected the report. Within months, the Punjab government withdrew the consent allowing the CBI to investigate, and the cases were handed over to a special investigation team (SIT) of the state police.

Trial in all three cases was pending in Faridkot court at the stage of arguments on framing of charges. Marking a complete departure from the outcome of the CBI probe, the SIT named several Dera followers, three national committee members, and the chief of Dera Ram Rahim as accused in the sacrilege cases. Controversial, self-styled Godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been named as the key conspirator by the Punjab Police.

In 2023, the Supreme Court directed the trial against Ram Rahim and seven other accused in the sacrilege case to be transferred from Punjab's Faridkot to Chandigarh.

Title: Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim v. State of Punjab & Ors.