The judge who delivered his second verdict against dera head
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His court has changed after the 2017 verdict. Entry is restricted, people are thoroughly checked. But the judge remained the same—humble and polite
A LAWYER
CHANDIGARH: Presiding over the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Panchkula, the judge, Jagdeep Singh, looked calm and cool, like any other ordinary day on Friday afternoon when he convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in Chhatrapati murder case. Those present on the first floor of court complex, where Singh holds his court said it started like any other day, he heard other cases and in the afternoon, this case was taken up.
“His court has changed after the 2017 verdict. Entry is restricted, people are thoroughly checked. But the judge remained the same—humble and polite,” said a lawyer, who has been appearing before him from the day he joined in Panchkula.
Singh, an additional district and sessions judge rank official, had earlier in August 2017 convicted Dera Sacha Sauda head in two rape cases, which had resulted in widespread violence in Panchkula as well as Punjab and Haryana. “Only change I see is, he attends less social gatherings, probably due to his security cover,” said a judicial officer, admitting that his family spent some anxious moments in 2017 after the violence was reported. After 2017 verdict, the judge has been given Z+ security cover with over 50 plus security men around him.
Designated as the CBI special judge in 2016, Singh completes his tenure on this post in April 2019. Seen as ‘very competent’ and ‘non-nonsense man’, he joined Haryana judicial services in 2012 and was posted at Sonepat. He hails from Haryana. The CBI court posting, which is generally given after a lot of checks by the high court administration, is his second posting.
“Not only the judge, even his family has been keeping a low profile. We have not come across any complaint, neither from him about the security men or from them, which is seen in may cases,” an official at the Punjab and Haryana high court said.
Prior to joining the judicial service, he was a Punjab and Haryana high court lawyer and practised between 2000 and 2012. He completed his law degree from Panjab University (PU) around 2000
Jagdeep hit the headlines in September 2016, when he played Good Samaritan and rushed four road mishap victims to a hospital when he was on route to Panchkula from Hisar. As per reports, he first called up emergency to rush an ambulance, but when the operator told him, “Will the ambulance come flying?”, he stopped a private vehicle and himself took the injured to the hospital.