CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court wants security agencies to clamp down on Dera Sacha Sauda as it fears a Rampal-like confrontation with followers of this sect could see even more casualties.
Taking cognizance of reports of weapons training inside the Dera, the court has referred the matter to the chief justice’s bench for taking appropriate action.
The Sirsa-based controversial dera’s head, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, is facing murder and rape charges. A division bench observed that proactive monitoring is needed to avoid bloody skirmish in future.
“Search of Dera to unearth illegal arms and ammunitions and monitoring its activities on periodic basis is the absolute need of the hour to avoid future bloody confrontation. Casualty will be more in dimension compared to the one we had faced while executing warrant of arrest as against contemnor Rampal,” observed the division bench headed by Justice M Jeyapaul.
The bench has also observed that religious places are meant only to impart religious discourses and not for giving training to private commandos to protect the head of dera.
In its eight-page detailed order, Justice Jeyapaul has observed, “We took note of shocking internal communication sent by Lt Colonel (Intelligence) as regards the activities of DSS for information and necessary action through Military Major. In the above communication, it has been succinctly stated that some ex-servicemen were engaging themselves in imparting weapons training to the activists of Dera Sacha Sauda at their headquarters at Sirsa”.
The orders have come after senior advocate Anupam Gupta, who is assisting the bench as amicus curiae in the Rampal case, informed the court on Friday about an army circular issued on December 13, 2010. The amicus had argued that weapons training inside Dera Sacha Sauda has direct implications for national security and the high court can’t shut its eyes to the issue.
“We take judicial notice of the fact that Gurmit Ram Rahim, head of said Dera Sacha Sauda is facing two graver cases of murder punishable under Section 302 IPC and one equally serious case of rape punishable under Section 376 IPC. He had also chosen to bring thousands and thousands of followers to the premises of the Sessions Division where the sessions trial was originally taken up,” observed the HC.
TOI | Dec 1, 2014
Contact Lawyers In India : https://lawintellectindia.com/contact-us/