CBI court’s clean chit to Dera chief in murder case

AMBALA - A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here Friday gave a clean chit to controversial Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh in the murder of sect functionary Faqir Chand.

CBI special court judge Abdul Majid ordered Friday that the murder case be closed after the agency, which investigated the murder case, filed a closure report saying that no evidence was found against the sect’s chief.

The court order is likely to come as a major relief to the sect chief, who is also facing two other cases of murder conspiracy and one of rape.

The CBI had filed the closure report in the case earlier this month.

The case pertained to the disappearance and murder of Faqir Chand, who was working as a manager at the dera. The victim had gone missing in 1991 and his brother Ram Kumar had alleged that he had been killed at the behest of the sect chief.

However, after investigating the case, the CBI said that no evidence was found in the murder charge against the sect chief.

The CBI was handed the case February following an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had been approached by the victims relative who said that the Haryana Police investigation into Faqir Chands disappearance was not proper.

However, the other two murder conspiracy cases and one rape case against the sect chief will continue in the CBI special court here.

The sect chief, who has a following of millions in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and other states, has been involved in several controversies.