MUMBAI: Dera Saccha Sauda chief Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder case of Ranjit Singh by a Special CBI court. He is also known for appearing in the MSG franchise films.
According to a report, the prosecution had completed its arguments on the last date of hearing that was on October 12 and had demanded capital punishment for the actor. However, the court deferred the hearing after the defence counsel requested some time for their rebuttal arguments. The report further stated that Ram Rahim Singh is already serving a rape sentence in Sunaria district jail in Rohtak. The Dera Saccha Sauda chief was convicted on the murder case of Ranjit Singh by the special CBI court on October 8. He was convicted along with Avtar Singh, Sabdil Singh, Jasbir Singh, and Krishan Lal.

He has also been levied with a fine of Rs 31 lakh, half of which will go to Ranjit Singh's son. The report added that the court had reserved its order on August 18. The court was supposed to pronounce the order on August 26 but the same was pending due to the murder victim's son Jagseer Singh filing a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the transfer of his late father's case to another CBI judge.

The victim Ranjit Singh was a follower of Ram Rahim Singh and a manager of the Dera in Sirsa, Haryana. Ranjit was shot dead on July 10, 2002. According to a charge sheet by the CBI in the murder investigation, Ram Rahim suspected Ranjit of circulating an anonymous letter amongst his disciples wherein he exposed the actor sexually exploiting his women followers. The news report further went on to say that in his last hearing, Ram Rahim Singh, in his eight-page statement submitted to the court had pleaded for leniency in his sentence citing his vast philanthropic work to be one of the reasons. The MSG actor added that many followers at the Dera have become like his family.

Credits: Filmi Beat