Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday granted permission for the prosecution of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in connection with three sacrilege cases from 2015. The incidents sparked significant unrest within the Sikh community, resulting in protests that led to clashes and the deaths of two protesters due to police action. 

The sanction paves the way to begin the trial against Ram Rahim. This comes three days after a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan lifted the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the trial against Ram Rahim Singh in the sacrilege cases. The apex court will hear the matter again in four weeks. 

The order came on the petition filed by the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government. Earlier in February 2023, the Supreme Court made a significant decision to transfer the trial against Ram Rahim Singh and his followers from a court in Faridkot to Chandigarh. 

Currently imprisoned at Sunaria Jail in Rohtak, Ram Rahim is serving a 20-year sentence for the rape of two of his disciples, a conviction that was upheld in 2017. In 2019, Ram Rahim along with three others was found guilty in a high-profile murder case involving a journalist, which dates back over 16 years. 

All About 2015 Sacrilege Cases: 

In 2015, a series of sacrilege incidents in Punjab sparked widespread outrage and unrest, particularly following the discovery of torn pages of the Guru Granth Sahib scattered in the village of Bargari, Faridkot. The incident, which took place on October 12, prompted an immediate response from law enforcement, leading to the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) under sections 295 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code at the Bajakhana police stations.