Punjab & Haryana High Court Acquits Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in Chhatrapati Murder Case, Upholds Conviction of Co-Accused
Case Name: Baba Gurmeet Singh @ Maharaj Gurmeet Singh @ Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh v. Central Bureau of Investigation & Connected Appeals
Date of Judgment: 07 March 2026
Citation: CRA-D-240-2019 & connected matters
Bench: Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Vikram Aggarwal
Held: The Punjab & Haryana High Court acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of the charge of criminal conspiracy in the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, holding that the prosecution failed to prove his involvement beyond reasonable doubt. However, the Court upheld the conviction and life imprisonment of the co-accused Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal for the murder.
Summary: The appeals arose from the judgment of the Special CBI Court, Panchkula, dated 11 January 2019 and the order of sentence dated 17 January 2019, whereby four accused were convicted in the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. The trial court had held Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh guilty of criminal conspiracy under Sections 120-B and 302 IPC and sentenced him to life imprisonment, while Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal were also convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder.
According to the prosecution case, on 24 October 2002 Chhatrapati, editor of the newspaper “Pura Sach”, was shot by Kuldeep Singh and Nirmal Singh pursuant to a conspiracy allegedly hatched by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, with Krishan Lal allegedly assisting by supplying a revolver and other articles. Chhatrapati later succumbed to his injuries on 21 November 2002.
The High Court re-evaluated the entire evidence on record, including the testimonies of eyewitnesses, police witnesses and the alleged conspiratorial link between the accused. The Court found the eyewitness accounts of Anshul Chhatrapati, Aridaman and police personnel to be credible and sufficient to establish the role of Kuldeep Singh and Nirmal Singh in carrying out the shooting. It also held that other circumstantial and recovery evidence corroborated the involvement of the co-accused.
However, in relation to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Court held that the prosecution case rested primarily on the testimony of Khatta Singh, who allegedly witnessed the conspiracy. The Court noted that this witness had given inconsistent statements over time and had earlier alleged that he was pressured by the CBI to implicate Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. His statements under Section 164 CrPC were also found not to be substantive evidence and lacked independent corroboration.
The Court further observed that a crucial witness, SI Ram Chander, who had recorded the statement of the injured journalist at PGI Rohtak, was not examined during trial. The Court held that the non-production of this important statement created a serious doubt regarding the alleged involvement of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the conspiracy.
In criminal law, where two possible views arise from the evidence, the view favouring the accused must be adopted. Applying this principle, the Court held that the charge of conspiracy against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt.
Decision: The High Court dismissed the appeals filed by Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal and upheld their conviction and sentence for the murder of Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
However, the appeal filed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was allowed, and his conviction and sentence for criminal conspiracy were set aside, resulting in his acquittal.