Ram Rahim gets bail in castration case, will stay in prison

Chandigarh: Rape convict self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Friday granted bail by a Panchkula court in a castration case, but he will remain in jail as other cases are pending against him.

Ram Rahim, who is serving a 20-year sentence in Rohtak's Sunaria Jail for raping two women disciples, is facing legal proceedings in two murder cases as well.

The Special CBI court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, granted regular bail to the Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief in the case.

The court had framed charges in August against him and two of his doctor followers, M.P. Singh and Pankaj Garg, for castration of scores of sect followers. 

The godman was charged with cheating and voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means whereas the two doctors were charged with criminal conspiracy and causing grievous hurt.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had in February filed a chargesheet against the controversial sect chief and Drs Singh and Garg.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had asked the CBI in December 2014 to probe allegations of forced castration by the sect.

Former sect follower Hansraj Chauhan, who was one of the victims of the castration, had moved the court against the sect chief and claimed that he along with 400 followers were allegedly castrated inside the dera premises near Sirsa town in Haryana, around 260 km from here, on the pretext that this will lead them closer to God.

The CBI chargesheet was filed nearly three years after the High Court directive