In a significant setback for self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the Supreme Court lifted the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the trial concerning the 2015 Bargari sacrilege cases.
Ram Rahim, the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, faces accusations in three cases related to the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib. A Supreme Court Bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan vacated the previous stay and issued a notice to Ram Rahim, requiring his response within four weeks.
Overview of the 2015 Sacrilege Cases
The incidents that sparked controversy included the theft of a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib, the display of handwritten sacrilegious posters, and torn pages of the holy book found scattered in Bargari, Faridkot. These events triggered widespread anti-sacrilege protests in the area. During police action against the protesters in October 2015, two individuals were killed in Behbal Kalan, with others injured in Kotkapura.
An investigation report by the Punjab Police had identified the Dera Sacha Sauda sect as responsible for the desecration incidents, directly implicating Ram Rahim.
Investigation Transferred from CBI to SIT
Initially, the then SAD-BJP government had entrusted the investigation of these three cases to the CBI. However, due to perceived stagnation in the inquiry, the Congress-led Punjab government transferred the investigation to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Punjab Police in September 2018 after the state assembly passed a resolution to withdraw CBI’s consent to probe further.
