Special judge Jagdeep Singh while sentencing godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years in jail for raping two devotees observed in his judgement that the self-styled guru didn’t deserve mercy since he had “acted like a wild beast”.
“The court is of the considered view that when the convict did not even spare his own disciples and acted like a wild beast, he does not deserve mercy,” the judge observed.
The court Monday ordered Ram Rahim to pay Rs 14 lakhs as compensation to each of the victims. It also sentenced him to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for each case of rape and said the sentences would have to run concurrently. (Read more here)
The judge quashed the godman’s plea that he suffered from “hypertension, acute diabetes and severe backache problem” and that long incarceration would adversely affect his health.
Here are some other excerpts from the order on sentencing :
On Ram Rahim’s stature as a god man
“Convict committed breach of gravest nature by sexually assaulting such gullible and blind followers.”
On the punishment for the self-styled godman:
“The accused must realize that the crime committed by him has not only created a dent in the life of the victim but also a concavity in the social fabric.”
On why Ram Rahim should pay Rs 14 lakh compensation to the victims:
“The convict pleaded that millions of rupees were spent/invested in producing such [Ram Rahim’s] films, for the promotion of which he sought to visit abroad… all these facts clearly establish that convict has no dearth of wealth.”
On pleas of leniency for the Dera chief:
“A man who has no concern for humanity, nor has any mercy in his nature, do not deserve leniency from the court”.
See the full order on the quantum of sentence here:
