 "Ram Rahim Singh moves Punjab and Haryana High Court against conviction in rape case")
Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim Singh on Monday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging his conviction in a rape case, for which he was convicted of two consecutive terms of 10 years of life imprisonment by a special CBI court in August this year.
Dera Chief #RamRahimSingh appeals in Punjab & Haryana High Court against verdict of Panchkula's Special CBI Court in rape case against him pic.twitter.com/6ujKlGbPiY
— ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2017
Singh’s lawyer SK Garg Narwana has filed the appeal on his behalf at the high court, CNN-News18 reported, adding that in his appeal the Dera Sacha Sauda chief is believed to have said that he is innocent and has not done the said crime. IANS reported that the matter is not yet listed by the court for a hearing. Singh was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula on 25 August for raping his two women disciples. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment — 10 years for each of the two rape convictions to be served consecutively — and fined Rs 30 lakh on 28 August. Following the verdict, violence broke out in parts of Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region (NCR) during which 38 people were killed and over two hundred were injured. On 26 August, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered the Haryana police to seize the properties of the group to compensate for the vandalism caused in protests by his supporters. Haryana Police on 19 September charged Singh’s adopted daughter Honeypreet and two of his aides for inciting violence and arson in Panchkula following Singh’s conviction. Police are looking for Honeypreet who has been absconding since the sentencing of Singh on 28 August. Singh is presently lodged at Rohtak’s Sunaria jail. Meanwhile, the CBI court in Panchkula is hearing two more cases against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief. These pertain to the murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh in July 2003 and murder of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati in October 2002. With inputs from IANS
