Haryana court defers verdict in two criminal cases against godman Rampal till 29 August

Chandigarh: A court in Haryana on Thursday deferred its verdict on two criminal cases slapped against self-styled godman Rampal till 29 August in view of the verdict in a rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Friday. [caption id=“attachment_1854649” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Sant Rampal. PTI[/caption] A decision by Judicial Magistrate Mukesh Kumar, who is posted in Hisar, came on the plea of police, citing the ongoing high alert in the state in view of the verdict on Friday in a case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Panchkula. Rampal was arrested from his fortified Satlok Ashram near Barwala in Hisar in 2014. At least six persons had lost their lives in the stand-off as Rampal eluded the police, while many of his key aides and around 450 supporters were also arrested. The death of five women and an infant occurred during a stand-off and violent clashes that erupted between the controversial sect leader’s followers and the security forces. The sect followers fired at police, lobbed petrol bombs and acid pouches, besides hurling stones and bricks outside the ashram, clearly indicating the sect was well prepared to resist the security forces.