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Hearing the petition filed by the son of the deceased Ranjit Singh, in the alleged murder case against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has today directed CBI court to not pronounce its verdict on 26 August, as was scheduled.

Issuing notice to the CBI Court, the Bench of Justice Arvind Singh Sangwan has fixed the matter before it for further hearing on August 27.

The victim’s son, Jagseer Singh, had moved Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking transfer of the case to another CBI court, just three days before a Special CBI court in Panchkula was slated to pronounce its verdict in the matter.

In his petition, Jasbeer Singh had urged for the transfer of the case contending that during the trial, presence of a specific CBI public prosecutor who is though not directly linked to the case, is most suspicious as he seems to be interfering with the trial rather than assisting the special public prosecutor appointed particularly for the case.

He had urged that he has a reasonable apprehension that the proceedings in other cases is unduly influenced by Ram Rahim through a Public Prosecutor of CBI though the same has not happened in this case yet.

In his plea he has stated that,

“Every nook and corner of the complex is aware of the close relation of Respondent No.2 Public Prosecutor for the CBI with the Presiding Officer which is incepted due to the extraneous considerations offered to the Respondent No.2,”

Urging before the court that it is an open secret that there exists a fiduciary relationship between Respondent No.2, Public Prosecutor for the CBI and the Presiding Officer, he had pleaded the court that

“In the interest of Justice it is necessary that the pending trial be transferred to any other CBI special court in the state of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.”

The Matter in Brief

The father of the petitioner was murdered in 2002, when the petitioner was only 8 years old. The trial for the case titled as ‘CBI vs. Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and Ors.’ is pending before the Special Judge CBI, Panchkula.

According to the charge sheet filed by the CBI in the matter, Ram Rahim thinking that Ranjit Singh was behind the circulation of an anonymous letter alleging sexual exploitation of female followers in Dera, hatched a conspiracy to kill him.

The court had fixed August 23, 2021 for hearing the rebuttal arguments of the CBI. Following the same, Special CBI judge had fixed August 24 as the date for the final order however, later changed the date of pronouncement of judgment to August 26.