Dera Sacha Sauda chief acquitted by Punjab and Haryana High Court in journalist murder case
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Chandigarh: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Singh was on Saturday acquitted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the murder case of Ram Chander Chhatrapati, journalist from Sirsa.
A two-judge divisional bench consisting of Chief Justic Sheel Nagu and Justice Vikram Aggarwal delivered the verdict on Saturday, after hearing the plea challenging a special court’s verdict in 2019 to convict Gurmeet Singh and sentence him to life imprisonment, news agencies have said.
While the HC cleared the charges against Gurmeet Singh, it rejected the petitions filed by two other accused, thereby maintaining the findings against them in the case.
Also, the detailed judgment on the case, which will explain the grounds on which the conviction was overturned, is awaited.
Journalist Chhatrapati, who owned a local newspaper in Sirsa, is said to have been shot outside his house in October 2002 and succumbed to his injuries later. The murder had drawn widespread attention since Chhatrapati had published reports relating to the allegations faced by Gurmeet Singh. The report also included a letter that accused Singh of indulging in sexual exploitation inside the Dera. This is learned to have led the legal authorities to probe the allegations against Gurmeet Singh.
The case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after initial rounds of investigation. The CBI, after further probing the matter, had filed charges against Gurmeet Singh and the other accused persons.
In January 2019, a special CBI court in Panchkula passed a verdict declaring Gurmeet Singh and the co-accused guilty of conspiring to murder Chhatrapati. The court had also sentenced them to life imprisonment.
While the Dera chief remains in prison in connection with his other convictions, the HC ruling on Saturday marks a prominent development in the case of the murder of the journalist, which has been on for seven years now.
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My party will complete 5-year term, says CM Siddaramaiah
Mysuru (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday asserted that the Congress government would complete its five-year term, while sidestepping questions on whether he personally would remain in office for the full duration.
Addressing reporters here, he maintained that decisions on the leadership would rest with the party high command and refrained from giving a direct answer on his own tenure.
“Our party will complete five years,” Siddaramaiah said, when asked if he would complete a full term as Chief Minister.
On the issue of leadership, he reiterated that the final call would be taken by the party leadership, saying, “The high command will decide. There’s no point asking the same thing again.”
Indicating his readiness to travel to the national capital if required, he said, “If I am called to Delhi, I will go,” adding that he would seek an appointment with Rahul Gandhi if needed.
The talks on leadership change have intensified in the power corridor of the state where claims were made that Siddaramaiah would make way for his Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
The Chief Minister also underlined that recent by-election victories in Bagalkote and Davanagere South assembly segment reflected public support for the government, stating that this clearly shows that people have appreciated the Congress government and its programmes.
The CM also dismissed the opposition’s claims, alleging they lacked strategy, and said local body elections would be conducted as per rules.
