5-year court battle for ashram

ROHTAK: The legal battle for the possession of Satlok Ashram, in the eye of a storm following the violent clash between AryaSamajis and police on Sunday, has been lingering for over five years. Controversial dera head SantRampal got orders from the Supreme Court on February 18, asking the district administration to hand over the ashram to him.
The district police was always apprehensive about the repercussions if the ashram was handed over to Rampal.The Rohtak SSP had to face contempt of court proceedings in December 2009 when the state government counsel submitted in the Punjab and Haryana high court that the government had no objection in handing over the possession of the ashram.
As the HC issued directives to state government and police to hand over the ashram, the Rohtak police failed to do comply with the order as they feared violence by Arya Samajis. Rampal then approached the court again with a contempt plea against Rohtak police after which the court summoned then Rohtak SSP A K Rao.
Disposing of the case, the court ordered that the ashram should be handed over to Rampal as the government had no objection in doing so. It was agreed that the possession of the ashram would be handed over to its management by November 22, 2009.
The police got a breather when the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, representative body of Arya Samaj, filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court and the court on January 10, 2010 directed the state government to maintain status quo till further orders. The apex court also stayed the contempt proceedings against the SSP.
The SC, however, dismissed the SLP on February 18, paving the way for Sant Rampal to regain possession of the ashram, which has resulted in fresh violence on May 12.