HC stays 2nd FIR filed on dera followers’ complaint

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has stayed the investigation of an FIR registered by Sirsa police against those who had approached it, claiming that Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is undergoing sentence in rape and murder cases in a Rohtak jail, has been replaced with a “dummy” person.
After the HC had dismissed the petition in July 2022, some persons, claiming to be dera followers, had given a complaint to the police, seeking an FIR against those who had filed such a petition and hurt the religious sentiments of dera followers.
An FIR was registered at police station Sirsa City against five persons on November 16, 2022, for hurting religious sentiments.
Those booked by the Sirsa police have now approached the HC, contending that the offence under Section 295-A of IPC is not made out apparently on the face of it, as Dera Sacha Sauda is neither a religious community nor performing any religious act.
Taking cognizance of the plea, Justice Sandeep Moudgil has issued notice to the Haryana government as well as the complainant, seeking their reply on the issue by August 23. The court further ordered, “Investigation proceedings shall remain stayed till the next date of hearing.”
As per the FIR against the petitioners, the complainant suspects that foreign enemies are extending financial help in every way to spread religious unrest in the country through the accused and his associates. It was also alleged that this type of immoral money is being sent through bitcoin.
Alleging that the purpose of filing a false and fabricated petition after receiving money from anti-national elements was to hurt the religious sentiments of dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s devotees, spread unrest and cause riots through false information, the petitioners had filed a petition before the HC last year, seeking directions to “verify the authenticity”of the dera chief. They alleged that the state authorities, in collusion with the dera functionaries, including Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet and PrithviRaj Nain have replaced the dera chief with a dummy person. The court was also informed about some changes made in the biometric details of the dera chief in his Aadhaar card. It was stated that all this has been done to usurp the massive properties of the dera trust.
The HC, however, had refused to entertain the plea and dismissed the same in July last year.