Castration case: CBI submits report to HC in sealed cover

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

Less than six months after a Single Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a CBI probe into the alleged castration of Dera Sacha Sauda followers, the premier investigating agency today submitted a report in a sealed cover.

As the case came up for resumed hearing for monitoring the progress made by the CBI, the High Court appointed senior advocate RS Cheema as the amicus curiae to assist the Bench in the matter.

Meanwhile,the CBI told the court that it did not receive the required logistical support from the state government. It wrote a letter on January 8 in this regard to the Chief Secretary but the response was still awaited.

Responding to the assertion, counsel for tHaryana assured the court and the CBI of doing the needful. Before parting with the case, Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain directed the filing of a fresh status report in the matter on July 1, the next date of hearing.

The Single Judge had passed the probe order nearly two years after Hans Raj Chauhan of Fatehabad district alleged that the followers were castrated after giving them the false hope that “the males who would get castrated would be able to achieve God through Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh”.

In his appeal through counsel SK Garg Narwana, Ram Rahim claimed that the petitioner had not make a representation or complaint to the police/competent authority before filing the writ petition. Narwana added the petitioner was castrated in 2000 in Rajasthan.

He was silent for 12 years and never complained to any person, authority or police. “If the castration was done on the asking of the present appellant, why did he maintain silence for 12 years? Admittedly, no allegation of the force has been levelled…. The present petition is barred by delay and latches”.