Gurmeet Ram Rahim Acquitted in Murder Case Amid Regional Political Context

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, head of Dera Sacha Sauda, was acquitted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the 2002 journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati murder case ahead of upcoming local elections in Haryana and Punjab. Despite the acquittal, he remains imprisoned on a 20-year sentence for rape convictions. Ram Rahim commands significant influence in Haryana and Punjab, with his followers impacting regional politics. The sect has a broad presence across several Indian states and claims to aid in drug rehabilitation, while Ram Rahim also engaged in film production before incarceration.