This is the triumph of truth: Slain journalist's son hails Gurmeet Ram Rahim's life imprisonment

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New Delhi: Soon after jailed self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to life in journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati's murder case, the latter's son hailed the judgment saying that this is the triumph of truth.

Expressing relief over the matter, he said, "Prosecution had demanded capital punishment but we are satisfied with the punishment."

A Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court in Panchkula, earlier in the day, announced life sentence to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief in connection with the 2002 murder case.

Three others - Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal - have also been awarded life imprisonment. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 to each. The special court pronounced the quantum of the sentence through video conference.

Last week, the Dera chief along with three others was convicted for murdering Chhatrapati by the Special Court in Panchkula.

The journalist was shot dead outside his house in October 2002 in Haryana's Sirsa after his newspaper published a letter alleging sexual exploitation of women by Ram Rahim. Ram Rahim was named as the main conspirator in the case.

Chhatrapati's family had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2003, seeking transfer of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The investigation was later handed over to the CBI which filed the charge sheet in July 2007.

Ram Rahim is already serving a 20-year sentence for raping two 'sadhvis' or female followers in 2002. Following the conviction of the 50-year-old self-styled godman in August 2017 in the rape case, riots broke out in Panchkula and several parts of north India.