Chandigarh: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Insan and two doctors were formally charged on Friday in a case related to the castration of around 400 disciples inside the Dera premises.
A special CBI court in Panchkula framed charges against Ram Rahim and doctors Pankaj Garg and MP Singh for voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), cheating and criminal conspiracy among others, paving the way for beginning the trial against them.
The court also dismissed a petition filed by the jailed Dera chief in which he had pleaded not to be made a party in the case.
Witness Gurdas Singh Tuhar told News 18, “I was a ‘sadhu’ in the Dera when the castrations took place. I have disclosed to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) all the things that transpired inside the Dera. I had filed an RTI to find out who owned how much land. The CBI has used that data in its challan to reveal that Ram Rahim’s real motive was to expand his empire and he used the ‘sadhus’ for that.
“The seers were first made land owners and then castrated. The power of attorneys were taken from them and the land was subsequently transferred to the Dera trust,” he added.
While both the doctors were present in court on Friday, Ram Rahim attended the hearing via video conferencing. The accused were also provided copies of the chargesheet. The matter has been posted for hearing on August 17.
The Dera chief was jailed last year after a CBI court convicted him of raping women disciples. Doctor Singh is also in judicial custody in connection with the violence that had broken out in Panchkula after Ram Rahim was convicted.
The CBI investigation into the charges of forced castration was ordered by the Punjab and Haryana high court in December 2014. Petitioner Hans Raj Chauhan had alleged that some 400 Dera followers were castrated with the false hope that their emasculation would lead to realisation of God through Ram Rahim.
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