The Punjab and Haryana high court has sought response from Dera Sacha Sauda and editors and publishers of two national dailies over publishing Dera Sacha Sauda advertisements claiming that its head, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was “being targeted as part of a conspiracy”.
Ram Rahim is currently serving 20-year sentence for raping his two disciples in 2002. In March this year, the HC acquitted him in the 2002 murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. He has also secured acquittal in another 2002 murder case of former dera manager Ranjit Singh in May 2024 from the HC. However, he remains an accused in multiple cases concerning the 2015 sacrilege incidents in Punjab, which are still under investigation.
He will also assist on the legal issue of cognisance and the maintainability of the reference, he added.
Justice Mehla had recorded that the act of issuing public appeals and “paid narratives” in the form of advertisement has been done even as appeals/trial are pending against Ram Rahim. “The act is an attempt to mobilise public opinion and influence the judicial process, which directly obstructs the administration of justice,” the court observed. “On a prima facie consideration of the aforesaid advertisement publications, this court is of the view that the contents thereof may have the tendency to scandalise or lower the authority of this court,” justice Mehla said, adding that the matter warrants examination of the publications in contempt jurisdiction. “Accordingly, the court takes suo motu cognisance of criminal contempt under Article 215 of the Constitution of India and under the provisions of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971,” the court said while ordering registration of the matter as criminal contempt petition and issued notices to management of the Dera and two publications. Senior advocate Chetan Mittal appeared for Dera and said that he will assist the court to establish that no contempt is made out in law, as well as on facts, as no act has scandalised or lowered the authority of the judiciary, or interfered with the administration of justice.
His appeal challenging the conviction and sentence is pending before the HC.
