HC stops CBI judge from pronouncing verdict in Ram Rahim case
Darpan News Desk IANS, 24 Aug, 2021 12:20 PM
Chandigarh, Aug 24 (IANS) The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday restrained the special CBI judge in Haryana's Panchkula from pronouncing the verdict in the Ranjit Singh murder case in which controversial and jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim is an accused.
The order came on a petition of victim's son Jagsir Singh.
The trial court had fixed August 26 for the pronouncement of the judgment.
The matter in high court will now be heard on August 27 by Justice Arvind Singh Sangwan.
Ranjit Singh, a former follower of Ram Rahim, was shot dead by four assailants on July 10, 2002, in Kurukshetra after he allegedly "raised his voice" against the self-styled godman, who is currently lodged at the high-security Sunaria jail in Rohtak, 250 kms from state capital Chandigarh.
The self-styled godman was sentenced to 20 years in jail in August 2017 for raping two women.
A special CBI court in Panchkula in January 2019 also sentenced him and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago.
India and Australia penned a landmark agreement for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support besides firming up six more pacts to further broaden ties after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart PM Scott Morrison held an online summit.
Siddharta Vashishtha, also known as Manu Sharma, the convict in the Jessica Lal murder case was released from Tihar Jail on Tuesday. Sandeep Goel, Director-General of Tihar Jail, said: “He was released on the recommendations of the Sentence Reviewing Board meeting. The entire process has been carried out.”
A swarm of locusts on Wednesday and Thursday devastated crops in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadhra district, which shares borders with Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. The pest has damaged crops in six states, leading to the Centre issuing a locust warning to 16 states.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 1,500 crore for the relief and rehabilitation of people affected by Cyclone Amphan in West Bengal and Odisha, and assured the states of more support after conducting separate aerial surveys with chief ministers Mamata Banerjee and Naveen Patnaik on Friday.
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