SC stays trial of dera chief in rape case

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, September 26

The Supreme Court today stayed till October 4 the trial of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a 1999 rape case pending in a Panchkula court.

A Bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and UU Lalit passed the order on a plea by the dera chief’s senior counsel V Giri that his client was unable to defend himself as the CBI had refused to provide copies of the statements of the two alleged rape victims.

Giri said the CBI had also dropped its investigation officer KL Raina, who had recorded victims’ statements, as a witness in the case despite his client’s objection.

Without issuing formal notice, the Bench directed that a copy of dera chief’s petition be served on CBI counsel PK Dey so that the agency could come up with its response at the next hearing on October 4.

On July 1, the apex court had refused to entertain two petitions of the dera chief seeking additional handwriting samples of the alleged rape victim and another for producing further evidence in the trial court at Panchkula.

The accused had pleaded that more handwriting samples of the victim were crucial for establishing his innocence. The Bench, however, said the accused should not argue that the victim’s purported “I love you” statement implied “I am available”.

“If it was a rape or consensual sex will be examined by the trial court by going into the evidence,” the Bench had remarked while dismissing the appeals against the high court rulings.