National Desk
28 May
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
The investigation into the 2002 murder of dera manager Ranjit Singh has come under sharp criticism from the judiciary for multiple lapses. A case was registered on July 10, 2002, under Sections 120-B, 302, and 34 of the IPC after Ranjit Singh was shot by four assailants in his native Khanpur Kolian village in Kurukshetra. The murder was allegedly orchestrated by dera followers who suspected Ranjit Singh of circulating an anonymous letter accusing Ram Rahim of sexually exploiting ‘sadhvis’.
The investigation, initially handled by local police, was later transferred to the CBI by the high court. In its 163-page verdict, the Bench described the CBI’s probe as “faulty” and highlighted several critical oversights. Notably, the car purportedly used in the crime was never seized, and despite three prosecution witnesses confirming that all four assailants were armed, none of the weapons were recovered.
The Bench pointed out that the CBI failed to prepare a site plan of the alleged conspiracy location and neglected to gather evidence from a restaurant where a witness claimed to have seen two accused celebrating the murder. Moreover, the agency did not conduct a proper test identification parade for two of the accused, relying instead on an ineffective photo identification process.
The appellants in the case were represented by senior advocates RS Rai, R Basant, and Sonia Mathur, alongside Gautam Dutt, PS Ahluwalia, and other counsel. The court’s scathing remarks underscore the need for rigorous and thorough investigations in such serious cases.