IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Reserved on: 25.09.2025/17.02.2026 Pronounced on: 07.03.2026 Uploaded on:09.03.2026 Whether only operative part of the judgment is pronounced or the full judgment is pronounced: operative part/full judgment.

[1] CRA-D-240-D-2019 Baba Gurmeet Singh @ Maharaj Gurmeet Singh @

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh …..Appellant Versus Central Bureau of Investigation …..Respondent [2] CRA-D-270-D-2019 Kuldeep Singh @ Kala …..Appellant Versus Central Bureau of Investigation …..Respondent [3] CRA-D-258-D-2019 Nirmal Singh …..Appellant Versus Central Bureau of Investigation …..Respondent [4] CRA-D-254-D-2019 Krishan Lal alias Kishan Lal …..Appellant Versus Central Bureau of Investigation …..Respondent CORAM : HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE SHEEL NAGU, CHIEF JUSTICE HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE VIKRAM AGGARWAL Argued by: Mr. R. Basant, Senior Advocate (Arguing counsel)

with Mr. Aman Jha, Advocate, Mr. Amar D. Kamra, Advocate, Mr. Akshay Sahay, Advocate, and Mr. Jitender Khurana, Advocate, for appellant(s) in CRA-D-240-2019.

Mr. R.S. Rai, Senior Advocate (Arguing counsel)

with Mr. Gautam Dutt, Advocate, Mr. Anurag Arora, Advocate, Ms. Rubina Vermani, Advocate, Mr. Arjun S. Rai, Advocate, Ms. Radhika Mehta, Advocate, and Mr. Farhad Kohli, Advocate, for the appellant in CRA-D-270-2019.

Mr. Ashwani Kumar Singh, Senior Advocate, (Arguing counsel) with Mr. Ashish Anshuman, Advocate, Mr. Rishi Titu, Advocate and Mr. Chandan Malav, Advocate, for the appellant in CRA-D-258-2019.

Mr. Amit Jhanji, Senior Advocate (Arguing counsel)

with Mr. Harish Chhabra, Advocate, Mr. Mayank Aggarwal, Advocate, and Mr. Abhishek Sanghi, Advocate, for the appellant in CRA-D-254-2019.

Mr. R.S. Bains, Senior Advocate (Arguing Counsel)

with Mr. Sarabjot Singh Cheema, Advocate, Mr. Anmoldeep Singh, Advocate, Mr. Inderpal Singh Deol, Advocate, for the complainant.

Mr. Ravi Kamal Gupta, Special Public Prosecutor, and Mr. Akashdeep Singh, Special Public Prosecutor, for the respondent – CBI in all cases.

VIKRAM AGGARWAL, J.

The afore-titled appeals arise from a common judgment of conviction dated 11.01.2019 and order of sentence dated 17.01.2019 passed by the Court of Special Judge (CBI), Haryana, Panchkula.

2. Vide the said judgment of conviction dated 11.01.2019 and order of sentence dated 17.01.2019, the appellants, Baba Gurmeet Singh in CRA-240-D-2019 (hereinafter referred to as `A1’); Kuldeep Singh in CRA-270-

D-2019 (hereinafter referred to as `A2’); Nirmal Singh in CRA-258-D-2019 (hereinafter referred to as `A3’) and Krishan Lal in CRA-254-D-2019 (hereinafter referred to as `A4’) [during the pendency of the appeal, A4 expired and the legal representatives of A4, were permitted to pursue the appeal]; were convicted and sentenced as under:- (I) Baba Gurmeet Singh @ Maharaj Gurmeet Singh @ Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh (II) Kuldeep Singh (III) Nirmal Singh (IV) Krishan Lal @ Kishan Lal Substantive sentences of A3 and A4 were ordered to run concurrently, whereas life imprisonment awarded to A1 was ordered to commence after the expiry of the term sentence awarded in the earlier case i.e. RC No. 05/2002.

THE CASE

3. The case of the prosecution is that on 24.10.2025, one Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who was a journalist, was shot dead by A2 and A3 pursuant to a conspiracy hatched by A1. A4, who was alleged to be the Prabandhak of Dera Sacha Sauda (hereinafter referred to as `the Dera’), is alleged to have been part of the conspiracy and had allegedly supplied his licenced 0.32 bore revolver to A2 and A3 and a walkie-talkie set stated to be belonging to the Dera, apart from other articles.

THE INCIDENT

4. On 24.10.2002, the sleepy town of Sirsa (Haryana), situated on the border of Punjab and Haryana, was rattled by a murderous attack on a journalist, Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who used to bring out a Daily Evening Newspaper `Pura Sach’. He was alleged to have been shot at for publishing articles against A1 alleging sexual exploitation of Sadhvis by him at the Dera, apart from other