The Punjab and Haryana High Court has acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. The decision was delivered by a bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Vikram Aggarwal. The court upheld the convictions and life sentences of the other three accused, Kuldeep, Nirmal, and Krishan Lal, who remain convicted in the case.Ram Rahim Gets Furlough Again: How Many Days Has He Already Spent Out of Jail?According to Live Law, the High Court’s judgment came in response to appeals filed against the 2019 convictions by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court. The CBI court had previously found Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three others guilty of conspiring to murder Chhatrapati, who was shot outside his home in October 2002 after his newspaper published allegations of sexual exploitation at the Dera headquarters.Ram Rahim Seems to Have Benefitted From Several Loopholes in CBI's InvestigationAs reported by The Hindu, the acquittal comes more than seven years after the initial conviction and sentencing to life imprisonment. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s lawyer, Jitender Khurana, confirmed that the court’s decision specifically pertained to the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.Who is Gurmeet Ram Rahim - Rockstar, Godman and Now Rape Convict?The High Court’s ruling overturned the trial court’s conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, while maintaining the sentences for the other accused as coverage revealed. The case had been registered in 2003 and transferred to the CBI in 2006, with the Dera chief named as the main conspirator.In 2019, all four accused were convicted by a special CBI court, with Judge Jagdeep Singh pronouncing the verdict. The prosecution’s case was based on the shooting of Chhatrapati after his newspaper, ‘Poora Sach’, published an anonymous letter detailing alleged sexual exploitation of women followers at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa as details emerged."The court has acquitted him in the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati," said Jitender Khurana, lawyer for Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is currently serving a 20-year sentence for the rape of two female disciples, a conviction handed down in 2017. The High Court had previously acquitted him in a separate case concerning the murder of Dera manager Ranjith Singh in 2024 as analysis showed.The High Court’s decision to acquit Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was based on its assessment of the evidence and the appeals presented. The convictions of Kuldeep, Nirmal, and Krishan Lal remain in force, and they continue to serve life sentences for their roles in the murder as further reporting indicated."The High Court overturned the trial court's conviction of the self-styled Godman," the judgment noted.The case has been closely watched due to its connection with allegations of sexual exploitation and the high-profile status of the accused. The acquittal of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh marks a significant development in the legal proceedings that have spanned over two decades as legal updates confirmed.Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.