By IANS.
Panchkula: The Central Bureau of Investigation’s special court here Friday directed the Dera (sect) Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh to appear in person before it May 28. He faces two charges of murder and one of rape.
CBI special Judge A.S. Narang has ordered Singh to appear in person after the CBI counsel submitted that video-conferencing room in the court was too small for a proper trial.
Earlier, when the CBI special court was in Haryana’s Ambala town, around 40 km from here, the Dera head was appearing through video-conferencing.
Gurmit Singh has been asked to appear before the court May 28 (in the murder cases) and June 4 (in the rape case).
He has been charged with conspiracy in the murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh in July 2002 and Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati in November 2001.
The Dera chief has also been accused of raping a “sadhvi” (female follower) inside the sect’s sprawling and fortified campus near Sirsa town in Haryana.
Panchkula town is around 10 km from the state capital capital Chandigarh.