New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday is expected to pronounce its judgement against Dera Sacha Sauda sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is accused of raping a sadhvi in his ashram in Punjab.
The rape charges were made against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief in 2002. The alleged victim had written a letter to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the chief justice of Punjab, alleging sexual exploitation by Ram Rahim.
A CBI inquiry was initiated against the Dera sect head by the court, following which a chargesheet was filed on July 30, 2007.
In the earlier hearings, the Dera chief had informed the court that he was incapable of indulging in sexual activities and the rape charges made against him are baseless.
In January this year, the CBI had registered a case against Ram Rahim Singh in connection with the alleged forced castration of 400 devotees inside his ashram in Sirsa, Haryana.
The agency booked the Dera chief on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code, following an order by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
A former Dera follower, Hansraj Chauhan, had filed a petition in the high court in 2012 alleging that he along with around 400 male devotees of the Dera were castrated inside the ashram on the orders of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim is also facing trial in connection with cases of murder of a journalist and sexual exploitation of his women disciples.
