Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to be sentenced via video conferencing in journalist murder case

PANCHKULA: Quantum of sentence for Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in connection with the journalist murder case will be pronounced on Thursday via video conferencing. The Dera chief along with there other people were convicted for murdering journalist Ram Chander Chhatarpati by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Court in Panchkula last week. 

The three other persons convicted in the case are Nirmal Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Krishan Lal. 

Even for the verdict, the 51-year-old self-styled godman had appeared via video conferencing from Rohtak jail where he's currently lodged.

Chhatrapati was shot at in October 2002 after his newspaper, 'Poora Sach', published an anonymous letter narrating how the 'sadhvis' were being sexually exploited by Singh at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. The journalist later succumbed to injuries and a case was registered in 2003. CBI took over the case in 2006.

Already serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his followers, the self-styled godman is staring at a life term or capital punishment after he was found guilty of murder and criminal conspiracy. 

Before being convicted in the rape case in August 2017, Singh was known for his lavish lifestyle, a penchant for modified motorbikes, his music videos and scripting, directing and starring in his films. The burly, bearded man was also known for his love for sports and apparently holds dozens of records, including those for the world's largest vegetable mosaic and largest finger painting.