Sirsa Dera castration case: HC refuses to stay CBI probe into allegations

The division bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and P B Bajanthri on Wednesday directed the Dera head’s senior advocate S K Garg Narwana to come prepared for arguing the case on merits on the next hearing on October 13. CBI special prosecutor Sukhdeep Singh Sandhu also presented the second interim status report about the CBI probe in a sealed cover before the court, which the court later handed over back to him.

Dera head had approached the HC division bench challenging its single judge order. The single judge bench had on December 23 last ordered a CBI probe against the Dera head. The CBI had registered an FIR against the Dera head and others at New Delhi on December 7 last and had started the investigation on HC’s directions.

The HC had handed over the probe to the CBI on a petition filed by the Dera head’s former follower Hans Raj Chauhan. He had submitted a list of 166 out of over 400 followers, including him, who had been allegedly castrated at Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s behest to pave way for realization of God. Chauhan’s medical examination conducted on HC’s directions had confirmed that he had no testicles.