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Sirsa fraudster evades CBI court,
but not because of shame
WSN Network
Ambala: Sirsa
dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim failed to appear in the CBI court on
November 9 as the agency examined two witnesses in the sexual
exploitation case against him. Special CBI Judge A.K. Verma
adjourned the case to December 12 and asked the defence to ensure
the Dera head’s presence.
The Dera head
cited security reasons while the CBI counsel asserted that the
concession of bail was being misused. The CBI examined
Punjab and
Haryana High Court official Mahinder Singh, who informed the court
of receipt of the anonymous letter and said that he had forwarded it
to the authorities concerned, while Postal Department official T.R.
Meena confirmed the authenticity of the envelope.
The court had
earlier framed charges against Singh in the case of alleged sexual
exploitation of ‘sadhvis’ while arguments on charges in the Ranjit
murder case and that of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati have been
completed and orders would be pronounced on the next date of
hearing.
The agency had
booked the Dera head under sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal
intimidation) and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) and Section
302 (murder) of IPC in three separate cases.
The Dera head
was booked on charges leveled by Ranjit’s father Joginder Singh that
his son was on the ten-member committee that ran Dera affairs and
was murdered on
July 10, 2002 on
the behest of the Dera head. His body was recovered from fields in
Kurukshetra.
The CBI court
has already framed charges in Ranjit murder case against Dera
followers Subdil Singh, Jasbir Singh, Krishan Lal and Manager Inder
Sain.
Ranjit was
suspected to be behind the alleged anonymous letter containing
details of alleged goings on at the Dera and sexual abuse of ‘sadhvis’.
The
administration had made elaborate security arrangements around the
police HQs where the makeshift court was held and the proceedings
were begun after lunch break even as the Dera followers did not turn
up.
12 November
2008
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