Supreme Court Lifts Stay on Sacrilege Cases Against Dera Chief Ram Rahim

The Supreme Court has lifted a stay by Punjab and Haryana High Court on prosecution of Dera Sacha Sauda's Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in three sacrilege cases from 2015. Notices have been issued to Ram Rahim as Punjab appeals the previous stay which halted proceedings around desecration incidents in Faridkot.

In a significant judicial development, the Supreme Court has overturned a stay by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, allowing the continuation of legal proceedings against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Dera Sacha Sauda leader, in three cases related to the sacrilege of religious texts in 2015.

A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan addressed the appeal by the Punjab government, contesting the previous High Court order that had stalled the trials. The controversial incidents involved the alleged desecration and theft of the Guru Granth Sahib in the village of Bargari, Faridkot district.

The High Court had initially issued the stay in March, in response to Ram Rahim's request for a CBI probe into the sacrilege cases. The legal action now resumes amidst Ram Rahim's ongoing 20-year sentence for prior rape and murder convictions.

(With inputs from agencies.)