The lawyer sought after by godmen
CHANDIGARH: Senior advocate SK Garg Narwana, the defence counsel of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, is as restless about Monday — when the quantum of sentence will be announced — as the rest of the nation.
Narwana, who is prepared to move a plea in the high court as soon as it is clear on what grounds the sect head is convicted, is the counsel in four other cases involving Ram Rahim.
These include the castration case, the murder of a journalist who exposed the exploitation of women at the Dera and the murder of one of the victims’ brother. Narwana has been a popular choice among other godmen too. He is also appearing for Rampal, the religious leader of the Kabir Panth, in a criminal case at the Punjab and Haryana high court. Similarly, self-styled godman Asaram’s son Narayan Sai also approached the Chandigarhbased lawyer to file for bail application in a case of sexual assault against him. The senior advocate at the Punjab and Haryana HC completed his law from Kurukshetra University in 1982. He is a practising lawyer ever since and his area of expertise is criminal law. When asked what makes the godmen approach him as their defence counsel time and again, Narwana said, “Kissi ke saath zyaati nahi kar sakte (We can’t be unfair to anyone). I have to defend them like anyone else.” He clarified that he wasn’t a follower of the sect and had visited a temple and a gurdwara instead to seek blessings for his case.
Though he has seen several ups and downs in his career, Ram Rahim’s conviction came as a surprise to Narwana. The defence considered it a strong case as there was no side to support the prosecution but given the hype the matter had gained, they thought there was a 50-50% chance ahead of the verdict.
However, Narwana added that he had faith in the system and respected the judiciary’s verdict.