Overview
- The Division Bench set aside the Dera chief’s 2019 life sentence on March 7, with the detailed judgment released Monday.
- The court said the prosecution’s case hinged on former driver Khatta Singh, whose shifting versions appeared coerced and lacked material corroboration.
- Investigators were faulted for not examining SI Ram Chander, who recorded the injured journalist’s statement, and for not seeking a formal statement despite hospital records showing days of stability.
- Life sentences for Kuldeep Singh Kala, Nirmal Singh, and Krishan Lal were affirmed on the strength of eyewitness accounts, weapon recovery, and forensic reports.
- The Bench noted the possibility that followers acted on their own and reaffirmed the benefit‑of‑doubt standard; Ram Rahim remains jailed on a separate 20‑year rape conviction.