₹50k fine on Dera follower who claimed threat to Ram Rahim

CHANDIGARH :A Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda follower who had filed a plea in the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) claiming threat to the life of the sect’s head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been told to pay a fine of ₹50,000 by the court.

The petition of the follower, Dr Mohit Gupta, who works at a Dera hospital, was dismissed by high court on Wednesday.

The plea was dismissed after the HC sought a report from district and sessions judge, Rohtak, about security arrangements at Sunaria jail, where Ram Rahim is lodged.

The jail superintendent and the judge had given a similar report, which prompted court to dismiss the petition.

The sessions judge had told court that the prison and cell, in which Ram Rahim is lodged, has special security arrangements in place.

Though the detailed order is awaited, the bench of justice Amol Rattan Singh, while dismissing the plea observed that other dera followers may resort to similar tactics.

Hence, a fine of ₹50,000 was imposed on the petitioner.

After the plea was filed on October 24, even a lawyer had appeared on the dera’s behalf denying that he was authorised by Ram Rahim to file the plea. Gupta had claimed that Ram Rahim was being tortured inside the jail and there was a threat to his life.

Ram Rahim is lodged in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail since August 2017 following his conviction in rape cases of two of his disciples and also a murder case.

Gupta, in his plea, had said that Ram Rahim should be brought before the court.

The petition alleged that Ram Rahim had been deprived of availing facilities available to other inmates.

FINE AIMED AT DETERRING OTHER

DERA FOLLOWERS FROM RESORTING TO SIMILAR TACTICS