On October 10, self-styled godman Satlok Ashram aka Rampal from Hisar, Haryana and 27 of his followers were found guilty in two murder case against him. A Haryana local court pronounced the judgement. The court was a makeshift court, specially built inside the Hisar Central Jain Premises to avoid law and order situation. As a preventive measure, just a day ahead of the hearing the Haryana police had deployed more than 5,000 police personnel and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and paramilitary force, to ensure peace in the district and in the surrounding areas as well. The quantum of punishment for both the murder cases is to be pronounced on October 16 and 17.
According to the Hindustan Times, both the cases of murder were registered against Rampal and his aids in 2014. In the first case, Rampal was accused of the murder and wrongful confinement of four women and a child at his Satlok Ashram following a clash between the police and Rampal’s supporters. The second case was registered against him when another woman was found dead in his ashram premises.
During the trail, 80 witnesses, including the doctor who conducted the postmortem examination on the victim gave their testimony in the case, said Rampal’s counsel MS Nain. On Thursday, the additional district court and the sessions judge (ADJ) DR Chalia gave their verdict in the 2014 cases.
The cases against him
The head of the Satlok Ashram, Rampal’s name is involved in many other cases. Earlier, on August 29, 2017, Rampal and his followers were acquitted in two cases of illegal confinement and obstructing government. However, five more cases which include murder, sedition are still pending in Hisar court.
In one of the two cases in which Rampal has been convicted today happened in November 2014. At that time, acting on the Punjab and Haryana high court’s order when the police went to arrest Rampal and his followers over a contempt of court case, more than thousands of his followers tried to stop the police from arresting him. His followers were used as human sheilds. Subsequently, the clashes erupted between the police and the protesters. He was later arrested on November 19, 2014, on charges of murder, attempt to murder, conspiracy, holding illegal weapons and abetting the suicide, as reported by The Times Of India.
To prevent a similar situation of clash and law and order situation in the district the Haryana police conducted a march in Hisar on Wednesday.
Also Read: After Ram Rahim Singh, Sentencing Of Another Spiritual Guru: Sant Rampal Acquitted By Sirsa Court
