Rampal withdraws bail plea from HC

CHANDIGARH: Self-styled godman Rampal on Monday withdrew a 2016 bail plea from Punjab and Haryana high court.

The plea was withdrawn after additional advocate general Deepak Sabharwal told the court that bail, if granted, would be an academic exercise as Rampal has been convicted for life imprisonment without ‘remission’ by a Hisar trial court in murder cases registered against him in 2014 in Hisar. The trial too in the case is at a fag end.

Out of 128 witnesses, 125 have been examined, Sabharwal told the court. As the bench of chief justice RS Jha and justice Rajiv Sharma was inclined to dismiss the petition, Rampal’s counsels decided to withdraw the same.

The petition was filed in November 2016 in a murder case registered against the godman in July 2006 at Rohtak Sadar police station. Rampal had allegedly led his supporters who fired at protesting locals outside his Karontha ashram in Rohtak. One person was killed and 57 others were injured.

The Satlok ashram head, Rampal, who is behind bars since November 2014 following his arrest in a criminal contempt case, was convicted in October 2018 by a Hisar trial court in murder cases registered against him in Hisar in November 2014. A large-scale violence was witnessed during the November 2014 operation launched by multiple agencies to nab him as he refused to appear before the high court.

In the entire operation, six lives were lost and 110 police personnel besides 70 civilians had sustained injuries.

Rampal had ashrams in Barwala, Hisar and Karontha in Rohtak.