Dera head’s pending plea in SC stalls 2015 sacrilege trials

Bathinda: Even as the Punjab govt has passed the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act proposing stringent punishments for ‘beadbi' (sacrilege) of the Sikh holy scripture, proceedings in the three 2015 sacrilege cases remain stalled at a local court in Chandigarh.The delay is mainly due to the pending status of a petition in the Supreme Court filed by Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim. The petition challenges the Punjab govt' decision to withdraw the investigation from the CBI. During the last hearing on April 29, 2025, the Supreme Court ordered trial court proceedings before the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) in Chandigarh remain stayed until further orders. Consequently, the CJM court adjourned the hearing on Thursday to Sept 24. Earlier, during the hearings on May 8, 2025, July 31, Sept 25, Dec 11, and March 12, 2026, the court stated further orders from Supreme Court have not been received. These cases were transferred from Faridkot to Chandigarh in 2023 following Supreme Court directives. Later, the related Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura police firing cases too were shifted to Chandigarh in May 2024, and April 2026.While the Punjab govt transferred the cases to the CBI on Nov 3, 2015, it issued a notification on Sept 6, 2018, withdrawing its consent. Gurmeet Ram Rahim challenged this in the Punjab and Haryana high court, arguing that jurisdiction cannot be reclaimed by the state once a case is handed over to a central agency.