Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has granted prosecution sanction for Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh in the 2015 sacrilege cases, three days after the Supreme Court lifted the stay imposed by Punjab and Haryana high court on proceedings in these cases.

The state government also granted sanction to prosecute three national committee members of Dera — Pardeep Kler, Harsh Dhuri and Sandeep Bareta. While Dhuri and Bareta are still absconding, Kler was arrested earlier this year.

A bench led by Justice Bhushan R Gavai stayed the High Court’s March 11 order, following an appeal by the Punjab government. The state questioned the High Court’s approach in revisiting a legal issue it had previously settled. The March 11 order had halted proceedings in the cases against Ram Rahim, while referring his petition, which questioned whether the state’s consent for a CBI probe could later be withdrawn, to a larger bench, Indian Express reported.

Also Read: SC lifts stay imposed on proceedings in 2015 sacrilege cases against Dera chief Ram Rahim

Sources told IE that the prosecution sanction has been granted in three cases registered at Bajakhana police station in Faridkot. The file was cleared by the CM, who also holds the portfolio of home minister. It took over two years to clear the file.

The three FIRs relate to sacrilege incidents that began on June 1, 2015, when a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from a gurdwara in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village. Later, on the night of September 24-25, derogatory posters threatening sacrilege were found in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala villages. On October 12, 2015, torn pages of the Guru Granth Sahib were discovered near a gurdwara in Bargari. The dera chief was booked under Section 295 of the IPC for causing religious hurt in these cases. The file required the CM’s approval, as the home minister must grant prosecution sanction in such cases, regardless of the accused.

Also Read: Ram Rahim walks out of jail on parole, again: A look at his previous 14 temporary releases since 2020

Ram Rahim, currently serving a 20-year sentence for rape and murder, was on a 20-day parole during the Haryana Assembly elections.