Prosecution was unable to prove case against Ram Rahim: HC
Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has observed that the prosecution was not able to prove its case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 murder of a journalist, and questioned the CBI probe.
The court on Saturday acquitted Ram Rahim Singh of the charge of involvement in the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
In a 113-page judgement which came out on Monday, the court said no reliance could be placed upon a witness who “kept on tossing from one side to the other like a ping pong ball.”
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu acquitted the 58-year-old Dera chief more than seven years after he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The bench, however, upheld the conviction of three others in the case.
“In the considered opinion of this court, the prosecution was not able to prove its case against A1 (Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh) beyond reasonable doubt, whereas it was able to do so in the case of A2 to A4 (three other accused).
“It is a settled principle of law that where two possibilities, one of commission of crime and the other of innocence, are reasonably possible, the accused is entitled to the benefit of doubt,” said the court.
The high court bench also expressed concern over the manner in which the CBI handled the testimony of the prosecution’s key witness, Khatta Singh.
The high court bench also expressed concern over the manner in which the CBI handled the testimony of the prosecution’s key witness, Khatta Singh.
“In the considered opinion of this Court, absolutely no reliance can be placed on a witness like Khatta Singh. He chose to remain silent for a number of years and then kept on tossing from one side to the other like a ping pong ball,” it said.
“Even on 26.12.2006, when he opened up for the first time, he did not implicate A1 in the present case and talked only about Ranjit Singh murder case. If he was under threat, it is not understood as to why he was under threat only in
this case and not in Ranjit Singh case in which he stated that a conspiracy had been hatched by A1,” the court said, dismissing Khatta Singh’s deposition that he was under threat from Ram Rahim.
