Ambala, India - In more trouble for controversial head of Dera Sacha Sauda sect Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, a CBI court here on Friday framed charges against him in two murder cases.
Judge A K Verma framed charges against Singh and others in connection with the murders of Ranjeet Singh, a member of the Dera's executive committee, and a Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chatrpati.
The CBI counsel contended that the agency had sufficient evidence against the Dera chief and other accused in the cases.
The sect leader, who is already facing charges of sexual exploitation of Dera sadhvis, and the other accused were present in the court when the charges were framed against them.
The court fixed January 10 for the next hearing. The CBI has charged the Dera leader, Awtar Singh, Inder Sain, Sabdil, Jasbir, and Krishan Lal in Ranjit murder case.
In Chatrpati murder case, the sect leader has been charged along with Nirmal Singh, Kuldeep and Krishan.
Ranjit Singh was one of the 10 members of the management committee of Dera Sachha Sauda. He was murdered on July 2003 in his native village Khanpur Kolian in Kurukshetra district. Ram Chander Chatrpati was murdered in Sirsa in November in the same year.
The counsel of Dera chief claimed that he had been falsely implicated in the case by the CBI.
The statements of two witnesses from the prosecution side have already been recorded in this case.
The Dera chief was in the midst of a major controversy over allegedly dressing up as the tenth Sikh Guru that triggered violent protests by Sikh community.