HC allows Khatta Singh to depose again

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday allowed Khatta Singh, former driver of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, to give his statement afresh in two murder cases of journalist Ram Chander Chattrapati and Ranjit Singh.

The order was passed by the high court bench of justice AG Masih on the plea of Khatta Singh against the orders of special CBI court, Panchkula that had dismissed his plea filed after the Dera chief was convicted and sentenced to 20-year jail in two rape cases in August 2017. It was on September 25 that the special CBI court had dismissed his application in this regard.

In his appeal, Khatta Singh had pleaded that his statement was crucial for these cases and he had to resile from statements given to CBI due to threats from Ram Rahim. He had retracted his statement in 2012.

One of the cases pertains to the killing of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who had reported the ‘wrongdoings’ inside the dera campus and was allegedly killed by dera followers in 2001.

The second case is about the murder of Ranjit Singh, a former dera member, who was also allegedly killed in July 2002 for highlighting ‘wrongdoings’ inside the dera. Both the cases have been investigated by the CBI and the trial is under way at special CBI court Panchkula. A detailed HC order is awaited.