Here are eleven fast facts to bring you upto speed with the latest:
1. In a special court convened inside Rohtak jail yesterday (August 28), Gurmeet Ram Rahim was found guilty on both counts - of raping and intimidating two female disciples, or Sadhvis as they were called within the Dera.
2. When the 20 year rigorous imprisonment sentence was announced at Sunaria jail, the 'Guru of Bling' reportedly broke down and cried copiously while sitting on the floor, pleading "mujhe maaf kar do" (please pardon me). The court on the other hand ruled that he deserved no leniency because, “When the convict did not even spare his own pious disciples and had acted like wild beast, he does not deserve any mercy.”
3. Judge Jagdeep Singh also ruled that the convicted rapist should pay a fine totalling Rs 3 million (30 lakh), which equates to a penalty of Rs 15 lakh for each of the two rape cases. In both cases, Gurmeet Ram Rahim was ordered to pay Rs 14 lakh to each of his female victims.
4. The two victims - one of whom is living in a witness protection plan - are seeking a tougher sentence for the convicted rapist, a stance backed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had deemed this as the 'rarest of rare' cases and sought the maximum term.
5. 50-year-old Gurmeet Ram Rahim's lawyers have indicated that they will appeal this judgement at a higher court. They had sought leniency, based on the premise that he has done a lot of "humanitarian work".
6. After the sentencing, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, now Prisoner # 1997, underwent a medical examination and was issued plain prison clothes, which he reportedly donned.
7. The multi-tier security provisions worked well yesterday, and both Haryana and Punjab have remained largely peaceful ever since Judge Jagdeep Singh handed down the sentence. The army remains deployed at many places, including the Dera headquarters in Sirsa, to maintain law and order.
8. Last Friday, many parts of Haryana had descended into chaos and mob violence after the guilty verdict came through - 38 people were killed and hundreds injured. The state BJP government was deeply criticised for its laxness and Prime Minister Modi had proclaimed yesterday that 'violence is not acceptable...in any form'.
9. Meanwhile, Gurmeet Ram Rahim has now begun his 20-year prison sentence with the knowledge that two more murder cases, in which he stands accused of conspiracy, will also be decided soon. These pertain to the murder of journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati and a former Dera operative Ranjit Singh. The CBI has almost completed its investigation in these two matters, and a decision is expected to be handed down in the Panchkula courts, before the end of the year.
10. In a separate matter, the flamboyant sect leader is also being investigated by the CBI for alleged castration of 400 of his male devotees.
11. Whilst many of the Dera's smaller establishments have been sealed, devotees remain inside the main headquarters in Sirsa. No untoward incident has been reported thus far, and it is believed that disciples are now beginning to return to their homes.
