High court defers hearing till Oct 13

THE HEARING WAS DEFERRED AS BOTH PARTIES SOUGHT MORE TIME TO ADDRESS ARGUMENTS.

CHANDIGARH: A Punjab and Haryana high court bench on Thursday deferred hearing on a petition challenging a Bathinda court order of granting approval on cancellation of an FIR against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The hearing was deferred as parties sought more time to address arguments.

The petitioner duo, Jaspal Singh and Hardeep Singh, had moved the high court in January 2015 demanding quashing of the order passed by Bathinda sessions judge in which the FIR cancellation report in alleged blasphemy case registered was approved by it in August 2014.

The dera head was booked under Sections 295-A (hurting religious sentiments), 298 (uttering words deliberately to hurt religious sentiments) and 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) of Indian Penal Code in 2007 for allegedly imitating the tenth Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh and administering “Jaam-e-Insan” in the same manner in which the Guru administered “amrit” to his followers.

The FIR was registered on the complaint of one Rajinder Singh. In June 2007, the Punjab government had also given its nod to prosecute Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

The petitioners have alleged that later dera head used his influence in forcing the Punjab government to delay investigations. The petitioners also alleged that when the state government found itself engulfed in the case, an affidavit was filed on behalf of complainant Rajinder Singh which said he was not present at the congregation and the complaint was filed based on media reports.

The police had then filed a cancellation report in January 2012. The complainant had later told the court that he had not signed the affidavit.

The district and sessions judge, however, accepted the report submitted by the state, which sought the dismissal of the case.