Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's sentencing day today: Top 10 developments

A CBI special court is expected to pronounce the prison sentence around 2:30 pm on Monday

Sirsa/Rohtak: Lakhs of Dera Sacha Sauda followers, over 10,000 security personnel, two states, one CBI judge and one rape convict – the countdown to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's sentencing has officially begun. A CBI special court is expected to pronounce the prison sentence against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim around 2:30 pm on Monday. Singh, who was convicted of raping two 'sadhvis' (female followers), has been shifted to the district jail at Sunaria in Haryana's Rohtak.

As we closely follow Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's sentencing by CBI judge, here's a quick look at the top developments so far.

1. CBI judge Jagdeep Singh will be flown to Rohtak's Sunaria jail on Monday to pronounce the quantum of sentence. The judge has been provided the highest level of security in view of the potential threat.
   
2. According to legal experts, the 50-year-old self-styled godman will be sentenced to at least seven years in jail and may even extend to life imprisonment.
   
3. A multi-layer security cordon was thrown around the Rohtak district jail. At least 10,000 paramilitary personnel and police has been deployed, with the Army on standby in Rohtak and Sirsa on Sunday. “We have ensured no Dera follower is allowed to enter the entire Rohtak district or move around jail. Several barricades with strong police & paramilitary presence set up, ready to deal with any eventuality,” Navdeep Singh Virk, IGP Rohtak Range told ANI.
   
4. Thirty-eight people died and over 250 injured after Dera followers went on a rampage on Friday evening following Singh's conviction in a 15-year-old rape case of two women followers. Over 900 people have arrested in Haryana so far. The mobs set scores of vehicles, including private and government cars, on fire. Police and fire brigade vehicles were also set on fire.
   
5. Nearly 30,000 Dera followers have refused to vacate the headquarters in Haryana's Sirsa. The army, on Saturday, has been stationed outside the campus spread over 700-acres of land. 
   
6. Furious over the deadly riots following Singh's conviction, the Punjab and Haryana High Court blasted the Centre and state on Saturday. "He is the Prime Minister of not the BJP but of India," said the court while responding to Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain's statement that the violence in Panchkula was a matter of the state. "Is Haryana not a part of India? Why are Punjab and Haryana treated like step children?" the court questioned.
   
7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the violence on Twitter.
   

   The instances of violence today are deeply distressing. I strongly condemn the violence & urge everyone to maintain peace.

   — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 25, 2017

   On Sunday, in his address to the nation through 'Mann ki Baat' radio programme, PM Modi said, “No one has the right to take the law into's one's own hands in the name of one's beliefs, adding that I want to assure my countrymen that those who take law into their own hands and are on the path of violent suppression, whether it is a group or a person – neither this country nor any government will tolerate it.”
   
8. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar admitted to lapses in security provisions. The "lapses have been identified and we are taking appropriate steps". "This should not have happened," he said.
   
9. Curfew has been placed in few districts of Punjab and Haryana, including Sirsa and Rohtak. Security has enhanced outside Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's residence. Delhi and NCR have been placed on high alert.
   
10. Security forces recovered two AK-47s, a Mauser, two pistols, rods and sticks during investigation and searches. Five guards from Ram Rahim's Z-Plus security, which has now been taken away, have been arrested after they tried to obstruct the policemen who were taking Ram Rahim to jail.