The Punjab and Haryana High Court declared its decision, noting that the investigating authorities conducted a “tainted and sketchy” investigation and gathered material that was not reliable.
Four years after being given a 20-year prison sentence for raping two of his disciples, a special CBI court in Panchkula found Ram Rahim and the other defendants guilty in this case in October 2021.In July 2002, Ranjit Singh, a former manager and adherent of the sect based in Sirsa, was shot and killed in Khanpur Kolian village in Kurukshetra.
Source: Live Law
The apparent motivation for the murder was his alleged involvement in the dissemination of an anonymous letter claiming that Ram Rahim was abusing women sexually on the dera property. Ram Chander Chhatrapati, a journalist based in Sirsa, had printed the letter in his Hindi-language publication, Poora Sach (The Whole Truth).
In 2002, months later, he was shot and assassinated by gunmen. A special CBI court found Ram Rahim guilty of the murder and sentenced him to life in jail in January 2019.In light of this, it is regrettable that the high court’s examination of the CBI’s investigation into the Ranjit Singh case was not upheld.
Source: India Today
The HC has identified several errors, including the fact that no weapon was found by CBI investigators despite three prosecution witnesses testifying that all four attackers were armed. The car that was supposedly used in the murder was never located. The dangers of conducting an investigation under the “glare of media publicity” have also been highlighted by the court.
For the top investigative agency, whose legitimacy has been called into question, it is now back to the drawing board. The CBI must hold negligent officers responsible and provide an explanation for why an apparently straightforward case collapsed.
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