CHANDIGARH: Two women followers raped by Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday seeking life imprisonment for the sect head who has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The victims’ counsel Navkiran Singh said, “A revision petition has been filed on Wednesday in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the enhancement of sentence for Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to life imprisonment in rape case.”
He continued saying, “In this case, the Dera sect chief was considered as ‘Pita Ji’ (father) by his followers. Victims were under emotional and physical custody of the Dera chief and he broke their trust and misused his position as a religious and spiritual leader. Therefore, we sought life imprisonment instead of 20-year sentence.”
The Central Bureau of Investigation court judge Jagdeep Singh had pronounced two sentences of 10 years rigorous imprisonment in each of the rape two cases against Ram Rahim that date back to 2002.
Honeypreet Insan sent to six-day police custody Honeypreet Insan, the ‘adopted daughter’ of Dera Sacha Sauda chief and self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Wednesday sent to six-day police remand by a Panchkula court.
Priyanka Taneja (36), alias Honeypreet, who calls herself the adopted daughter of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was arrested from Zirakpur-Patiala road in Punjab on Tuesday.
“They (Haryana Police) sought 14 days’ remand and following the arguments, the court sent Honeypreet to six-day police remand,” Honeypreet’s counsel SK Garg Narwana told reporters after over-an-hour-long hearing that took place in the court of chief judicial magistrate (CJM) Rohit Vats.
Another woman, identified as Sukhdeep Kaur, who was arrested by Haryana Police along with Honeypreet, was also sent to six-day police remand. Honeypreet topped a list of 43 people “wanted” by the state police in connection with the violence.