To stop Dera chief’s followers from cleaning city, rights body moves court

To seek directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to restrain the UT Administration and Municipal Corporation Chandigarh (MCC) from allowing the followers of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to clean the city, Lawyers for Human Rights International, an independent organisation, has filed a petition.

The petition will come up for hearing before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain on Thursday.

The petitioner organisation has sought directions to restrain UT Administration, MCC, Chief Engineer S S Bida and Mayor Subash Chawla from allowing the Dera chief's followers from cleaning the city, as it was not in public interest.

"Since Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and his followers are being tried at the Panchkula court for rape and murder charges. This action will harm the interest of justice and will have an adverse effect on the fair trail of the cases," read the petition.

It is also petitioned that as per media reports, the proposal seeking permission of over one lakh followers of the Dera head was lying with MCC mayor.

The petitioner has also laid emphasis on different cases where Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been involved. It is also mentioned in the petition that a case where a sadhu, Hans Raj Chauhan, who was a follower of Dera Sacha Saudha, alleged castration by the Dera head was pending with the court.

The Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, had submitted the medical report of Chauhan that confirmed castration.

Moreover, the petitioner also highlighted that the Bathinda court had already asked the Dera head to appear before it on February 22, for hurting Sikh sentiments in 2007 by allegedly wearing an attire similar to that of Guru Gobind Singh.

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