Dera Sacha Sauda to seek quashing of Bhatinda court order

CHANDIGARH: Dera Sacha Sauda has decided to move court to seek quashing of the Bhatinda court's conditional non-bailable arrest warrant against its chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, charged with hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs.

The decision comes in the wake of the Punjab government giving the go-ahead for the arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief.

"The sect will either seek anticipatory bail for the Dera chief or quashing of the June 20 order of the Duty Magistrate AL Khitchi, who had issued conditional bailable arrest warrant against the Dera chief," a spokesman of the sect said on Friday.

"A three-member panel of advocates has been constituted to plead the case of the Dera in the Bhatinda court," a Dera spokesman said.

Acting on the court directive, Punjab government had on Wednesday given the go-ahead for the arrest and prosecution of Dera Sacha Sauda head.

Issuing the warrant returnable on July one, the Bhatinda court had stipulated that the police seek the permission of the state government for prosecuting Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The clearance by the Punjab government to arrest the Dera head came after the Akal Takhat, the supreme temporal seat of Sikhs, rejected a fresh 'apology' by the Dera Sacha Sauda chief for allegedly denigrating Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.

The Dera chief had invited the ire of Akal Takhat for allegedly dressing like Sikh Guru Gobind Singh and his action sparked violent protest by Sikhs across Punjab last month.