A special CBI court in Panchkula, Haryana, has convicted Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four others in the murder case of a former Dera follower Ranjit Singh.
The accused have been convicted under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and the sentence will be announced on October 12.
Ranjit Singh, a follower of Ram Rahim, was murdered on July 10, 2002 for his suspected role in the circulation of an anonymous letter, which narrated how women were being sexually exploited by the sect head at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa.
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An FIR under murder and criminal conspiracy charges was filed at the Thanesar police station. Following this, the High Court had ordered a CBI enquiry in 2003. CBI filed its charge sheet against the Dera chief and others in 2007.
Further, in 2017, Ram Rahim was sentenced to a 20-year imprisonment for raping two of his followers. He is currently lodged in Rohtak's Sunaria jail.